Orange Hair
by My Name is Scratch
Summary: At this point, you've probably heard stories of the Elemental Nations before. By now, you've probably heard so many stories about those bizarre and unnatural lands that you don't know which are true or false. Well, this is the story of the Elemental Nations, the Shinigami that resided, and a young man with orange hair...let's start from the beginning, shall we…
1. Pilot

At this point, you've probably heard stories of the Elemental Nations before. If you haven't already, I haven't a clue what brought you to these necks of the wood.

By now, you've probably heard so many stories about those bizarre and unnatural lands that you don't know which are true or false.

But surely, you must have heard at least one of the stories, both of the simple to the grand sort; the stories of feuds and alliances; the stories of the individual standing against whole armies to the coalition of whole nations against a common foe-

Oh ho ho! And what grand stories those are! Whether they are true or false, poorly told or written in such grand detail you can picture is as clear as your reflection in a mirror, there is no denying the sheer awesomeness of each!

But also, you must have heard about the stories of the courageous, the lost, the persevered and those who sought redemption (with maybe a hint of romance, to blend it all together).

This is one of those stories.

This is the story of the Elemental Nations, the Shinigami that resided, and a young man with orange hair...

Let's start from the beginning, shall we…

* * *

Twelve years ago, horror befell the Land of Fire's Shinigami village of Konahagakure. A creature known as a 'Hollow' attacked the village without warning or remorse. This 'Hollow' was one of nine beings that were considered living natural disasters of the Elemental Nations. Each possessed a unique level of power and control over their surroundings.

It was deemed that few, if any, could match their power in single combat.

With a swing of their arms, mountains could crumble, oceans could become tsunamis and wherever they went, cataclysm and death was soon to follow.

This one, in particular, was considered the worse of them.

Each bore humanoid designs and structures, but their overall appearance was anything but _human_. This one – the worst of the worst – wasn't much taller than six feet in height.

It's skin was black and hard as tempered steel. Its claws sharp as any sword. Its horns were spears. And its face was deemed fear itself.

Ironically, despite its black armored body, it was commonly referred to as the 'White' Hollow, for its pale mask.

Now, humans are interesting in their beliefs. The Shinigami assumed that, because this Hollow was not much taller than most of those present, he (or rather, _it_) would not have had the capabilities to face such overwhelming odds on his (or its) own.

I mean, without a Zanpakutō, how much of a threat could it be?

Now, obviously, any well trained Shinigami (which was the majority of soldiers out there that night) knew never to take an enemy lightly.

But White was something else.

Zanpakutō or not, there was no denying just how much damage this thing was causing the resounding landscape, village structures, and Shinigami.

A flash of white, whole squads of Shinigami were in the air. Another flash, more Shinigami were sent airborne. A flash of red could be seen for miles around, and only after all that was seen could you hear the screams.

Truly, against the Hollow, it seemed no one could stand up to it.

But like any good story, it would seem that the hero would arrive only when all seemed lost. Amongst the toppled bodies of countless Shinigami, a single man met the Hollow in mortal combat.

That night, he sacrificed himself to capture the beast and seal it into a human body.

That man was known as the Yondaime Hokage.

Now, I'll take you to the present – twelve years after the Hollow Attack – where a _certain delinquent _is causing a _certain teacher_ a _certain level of trouble_…

* * *

"KUROSAKI ICHIGO!"

"Hmm?" A young man turned his head around to the angry voice. "Oh, hey Iruka-sensei. What's up?"

"What's up? WHAT'S UP?! WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" The figure – apparently under the name of 'Iruka' – asked angrily, his face turning an impressive shade of red as he yelled at the young man in front of him.

The boy looked uncertain. "What do you mean?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I MEAN?!" He pointed to the prone, twitching teenage bodies around the boy – Ichigo Kurosaki – who reacted to them with a level of uncaring that might have impressed anyone who didn't know him.

I suppose a little information should be given about the young man, surrounded by unconscious bodies. Kurosaki Ichigo, who's name we have already established, was a young, twelve year old boy born and raised in village of Konohagakure.

Ichigo was typical in many aspects to your average young man. Determined, energetic and with a healthy level of rebellion common for children of that age. He was tall for his age, held himself proudly, and had orange hair.

Yes, I kid you not, this young man had the brightest, most out of place orange hair you'd ever seen. It was, undoubtedly, his most distinguishing feature. And alongside his near-permanent scowl that never seemed to leave his face, it wasn't too hard to see why the village had declared Kurosaki Ichigo as their number one delinquent.

To Iruka, who perhaps knew him as well as anyone in the village, his 'uncaring' looks were just another way to show off his stubborn nature.

"They knocked down the vase." Ichigo answered, pointing to the vase full of flowers by the gravestone, seemingly knocked down and dripping water by its open end.

Iruka, already used to the actions already taken by the orange haired boy in front of him, didn't even have to glance up to know what he was talking about. "Yes," Iruka seemed to be straining to keep his anger in check and his voice down in the respected area of the village, "I can see that. But do you think knocking down three-"

"Four."

"_Four_ kids in a public cemetery is any way to _respect those around you_?"

Again, Ichigo blinked, glancing around at the other gravestones before taking on an expression akin to, what might be described as, 'a neutral scowl.' "They didn't say otherwise."

Tick marks began to appear on Iruka's forehead. "And do you know what time it is?"

Oh, he was pissed. "Class time-"

"CLASS TIME!"

* * *

Shin'ō Academy. The prized Shinigami academy of Konahagakure where, at least once in every Shinigami's lifespan, every Shinigami stationed in Konahagakure had trained and learned at under the tutelage of the academy teachers and professors. The lessons were varied and useful to all manner of fields that a Shinigami might find themselves in later in their careers.

But those lessons will be discussed and evaluated about further at a later time.

For now, let us look at a more valid point in the academy, were a still irritable Iruka had his most troublesome student standing at the front of his classroom, looking out to his fellow students with a well-placed scowl.

"I don't know how many times I have to say it, Ichigo," Iruka said, "I'm at the end of my rope here. What kind of example are you playing at to your peers if you do keep doing these stupid, delinquent actions?"

Ichigo turned his head away but refused to respond.

If anything, this just irritated the Iruka further. "Alright then, HAVE IT YOUR WAY!" He turned to the class, "Because of your classmate's actions, everyone out to the courtyard! We're practicing the Shakkahō!"

A collective groan escaped through the class, with Ichigo just continuing to scowl.

This wasn't turning out to be a good day.

* * *

"Alright, first off, Sakura, if you would be so kind," Iruka stepped aside as he allowed a girl – Sakura, if it was anything to go by – to step up to the Academy training range and open her palms outward at a training dummy at the end.

The girl – full name, Haruno Sakura – was what may be described as, a petite young girl. Her most striking feature was, undoubtedly, her long pink hair that reached past her shoulders and held back from her face by a bright, red bow. Her dress was of a similar color to her bow, red in color with white patterns around it to distinguish it, with a Zanpakutō, perhaps a bit shorter than the average length accustomed to a Zanpakutō, at her side.

In all honesty, she was a pretty young woman, who stood confidently in front of the range, both encouraged in her abilities over Kidō and in the hopes of impressing a certain someone in her class (I did mention some romantic aspects to this story, didn't I?) Coming from a family of Shinigami parents, Sakura held full confidence in herself as she raised her arms up in the direction of the dummy and narrowed her eyes in focus.

"_Ye lord!_" She shouted, her voice commanding as she shouted around the training range, "_Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!_" As she shouted, her hands glowed red; an orb of crimson red energy, about the size of her palm, circled in front of her.

"Hadō number 31! **Shakkah****ō**!"

The red energy shot off towards the dummy, nailing it in the chest and causing it to explode into a shower of straw.

Iruka nodded, pleased, writing a mark on his clipboard, "Very good. Top marks." The pink-haired Shinigami-in-training smiled brightly and cheered for her success. "Next up, Uchiha Sasuke."

The boy – Uchiha Sasuke – was considered a prodigy amongst the Shinigami candidates of the year. Both with his skills in Kidō, Zanjutsu (Art of the Sword), Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) and Hohō (the fast movement techniques of the Shinigami), he was considered the very best. But, what would you expect, being the heir of one of the Four Noble Houses of Konoha.

His attire consisted of a dark blue shirt with a white and red fan on its back, alongside white trunks and arm warmers, as well. Like other students, his Zanpakutō was tied loosely to his side in a dark black sheath.

Quietly walked up to the front of the post, pointed his palms out similarly to the front of the range and held his arms out.

**"Shakkah****ō**."

BANG!

As fast and just as large as Sakura's previously, a large red orb of energy shot off from the boy's palms and rammed into the dummy's head before passing through and hitting a few nearby trees behind the dummy.

It was impressive, as the female members of the class all cheered at Sasuke's impressive, chantless casting of the Kidō spell. Even Iruka, despite having seen his skill in Kidō before, was pleased with the display. "Excellent work, Sasuke." The boy did nothing to acknowledge Iruka even spoke, as he walked back to his place in the makeshift line of students. "Next, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

Unfortunately, before Ichigo could even make it to the line, he was given his fair share of rubbing from his fellow initiates.

"Way to go, _Ichigo._"

"Why do _we_ always have to pay for _your_ mistakes?"

Ichigo, in response, kept his stern expression, muttering a quick, "Like I care," before stepping up to the range.

He waited there.

Five seconds passed.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Finally, thirty seconds passed before Iruka finally let his ire out, "Any time, now."

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo turned around and walked back to the line, "You know I can't do Kidō."

Or Hohō, for that matter. And don't even get him started on Zanjutsu. Using wooden swords, that felt like crap in his palms to begin with, did not help, overall.

Not to mention that, out of all the classmates in his year, Kurosaki Ichigo had been the only student unable to unleash his Zanpakutō.

The only thing he was competent in was Hakuda, and even then, he couldn't perform half the moves the other students could make because of his lack of Reiryoku control (Reiryoku being a subject we will delve into later in this story). The only reason he'd even been allowed to remain in the academy to begin with was his knack for getting exceptional academic scores and his barely above average Hakuda skill. But actually graduating from the academy, however, was looking less and less likely as the graduating exam was only a day away.

After all, without a Zanpakutō, you couldn't be a Shinigami.

Iruka's eyes narrowed for a moment, before sighing tiredly and turned back to his other students.

"NEXT!"

* * *

Ichigo found himself cleaning off the old tombstones with a bucket and a sponge, as he grumbled about the unfair treatment he was being given. It was 'discipline' for his delinquent actions, according to Iruka.

Sitting patiently in a nearby tree, Iruka watched as he cleaned off _every last tombstone_. "You're not going home until you've cleaned off _every speck of dirt._" Iruka yelled from his spot in the tree, as Ichigo glanced back at him.

"Who cares? It's not like anyone's waiting for me back there!" He turned back to his cleaning, keeping quiet as he cleaned his one-hundred-and-second tombstone.

It was quiet for a while, as Iruka just watched him clean his next tombstone quietly.

"Ichigo."

"Hmm?" He glanced up from his work. "What?"

"Well," Iruka scratched his nose, uncertainly, "maybe after you've cleaned up the last of these, I'll treat to some dinner. Anything you want, what do you say?"

There was a pause as Iruka looked over to Ichigo, before the boy smirked, "You know, that doesn't sound too bad, sensei."

* * *

In the end, they decided on a nice ramen stand they frequented now and then. It was nothing more than a small shack, but it was comfortable, nonetheless.

"Itadakimasu!" They shouted, separating their chopsticks and digging into their meals gladly. It was late, as the sun had already set past the horizon, and they were eager to fill their empty stomachs with some reasonably tasty ramen.

As they ate, Iruka peered over to his student, "Ichigo?"

"Hmm?" The orange-haired boy responded, slurping up more noodles. It wasn't his favorite food, but the little shack had become something of a hangout for him in the years he'd been a part of Konahagakure. Certainly, the atmosphere was bright enough and the food was tasty enough not to complain about.

"Why would you do that to those kids, back there?" Iruka asked, "I mean, it was just a vase. It wasn't like they grafited the tombstones or anything."

"So?" Ichigo replied. "They were messing with a dead girl's _grave_. I couldn't let them get away with that, could I?" He asked honestly, pausing from his food for a bit, "From war, from natural occurrences, to the Hollow Attack – those people didn't deserve to have their resting places desecrated by a few punks who wouldn't know respect if it kicked them in the face."

"Well, maybe," Iruka gave him that, "But do you really think fighting a bunch of kids will make those dead villagers feel any more at peace?"

"I know it does."

Iruka just thought he was being stubborn again, "Look, if you want to become a Shinigami, you're going to have to stop these shenanigans sooner or later. A 'delinquent-Shinigami' won't make many friends when he's out on missions for the village."

Ichigo scoffed. "What do I care about people's opinions?" He answered back, before promptly finishing his bowl and placing it down. He glanced up to Iruka, who was just looking at him as he finished his bowl. "Uh, sensei," he began, looking a tad unsure of himself, "do you mind if I ask you a favor?"

"Hmm? What? You want another bowl?"

Ichigo shook his head, "Nah, nothing like that." He glanced at Iruka's waist, "Do you mind if I hold your Zanpakutō for a sec?" It was such an odd request, Iruka was slightly taken aback from it.

Ah yes. I suppose a full description of Umino Iruka – which was his last name, by the way – was lacking. To begin with, as custom of any of the hidden, Shinigami villages, a Shinigami was bound to the custom attire of their village. In the case of Konahagakure, a simple black kimono was worn by the higher members of the Shinigami demographic, with Iruka being no exception. In addition, like most Shinigami, he wore his Zanpakutō to his side. As you went higher in rank, additional pieces of clothing or patches might be added to your attire to signify your rank, with the lowest ranking members having optional attire to show off that they were, indeed, the lowest of the low in the Shinigami hierarchy. This practice was, similarly, passed on through many of the villages that held Shinigami, with each having a unique trait of their own, one way or another.

In which, speaking of ranks, Iruka's personal rank, in the demographic of the Shinigami Ranking System, was Chugami; better known as a 'mid-rank' Shinigami, that made up the brunt work of a standard Shinigami village.

Iruka glanced at his hanging Zanpakutō at his waist, before smiling proudly back to the boy, "No way. You can only hold one of these _if_ you unlock it yourself. That's the rules."

Ichigo's scowl fell back into place. "Whatever." He grumbled. "Hey, old man, another bowl on Iruka-sensei here!"

Iruka laughed. He was a delinquent, but he was good at heart, even if he hid it behind that scowl of his.

* * *

The next day came quickly enough, as Iruka stood at the front of the class proudly.

"We will now start the final part of the exam." The air tensed around them. "When your name is called, proceed to the final testing room." The class all knew the routine, but some still nodded. They were nervous and the tense air around them wasn't helping.

Ichigo knew, just from common sense, what was next. Iruka had told him enough times what was expected of any Shinigami. He knew what needed to be shown.

A Zanpakutō.

Just showing one off was enough to pass. If their Zanpakutō was hard enough, sharp enough, held a level or Reiryoku and met the qualifications set up by the Shin'ō Academy, they'd receive their Shinigami belt to hold their Zanpakutō at and officially be made a Shinigami of the village.

It's what made Ichigo's year of trainees exceptional. Every student in his class had achieved the necessary Reiryoku control to summon their Zanpakutō by, at _least_, their third year of training at the academy.

Unfortunately, Ichigo didn't have a hint of Reiryoku that he knew of, nor the means to control it to summon his very own Zanpakutō.

So, with tense nerves, he waited his turn until called into the testing room.

"Whenever you're ready." Iruka said, as he sat behind a desk filled with Shinigami belts, waiting for Ichigo to begin. By his side, his colleague and fellow instructor, Mizuki, sat patiently as he, to, watched Ichigo stand in front of them.

That helped a bit. Mizuki was a tall, silver-haired Chugami, like Iruka. Though, unlike Iruka, Ichigo never really had issues with Mizuki-sensei. He was kind, supportive and really didn't care if Ichigo succeeded or not in his classwork.

Standing, legs apart, Ichigo held out his arms and concentrated.

This was it. Now or never. Success or failure. He didn't care if it looked weird, he just wanted his sword.

Focus…focus…focus!

…

…

…

Thirty seconds later, Ichigo's scowl deepened.

Nothing.

"Fail." The voice of Iruka spoke up, marking a indentation on his notepad as Ichigo's scowl deepened even further than it already had.

"Iruka-san," Mizuki spoke up, "perhaps we could talk about this a little more." Iruka raised an eyebrow at his suggestion, "His Hakuda wasn't bad and his academic scores were top level. Even though he might not be able to summon his Reiryoku, he did demonstrate some skill." He smiled slightly, "Perhaps we _could_ pass him, by those scores alone."

Ichigo, despite his attempt at keeping his image, began to show hopefulness on his face. Mizuki neglected to mention his poor skill in Kidō, Hohō and Zanjutsu, which he appreciated, _immensely._

"Mizuki," Iruka spoke up, "The other students, not only had pre-summoned Zanpakutō, but excelled in parts of the exam Ichigo absolutely _failed_ in. His skills are pitiful and Reiryoku control is _non-existent_." Iruka shook his head, even as Ichigo's hopes dropped from his face, replaced by a scowl, harsher than his usual ones.

"I can't pass him."

* * *

It was expected. Ichigo had hoped, even he would admit, but he'd expected his failure in this exam since the last of his fellow students had summoned their Zanpakutō the previous year.

He'd hoped, though. He may as well have given the middle finger to the teachers during Kidō practice, but at least he gave it his all in Hohō practice (usually running as fast as he could to keep up with his faster students), his Zanjutsu training (he started to really enjoy getting whatever hits he could with those wooden training swords) and Hakuda training.

He'd expected it. But he hadn't expected the lingering self-doubt he'd feel. Especially after seeing all the kids run up to their parents after the exam, excited by their graduation and success.

All of them passed. Except him.

He stood off to the side of the academy by an old tree, casually leaning off as he watched parents smile and congratulate their children.

He was to far away to hear their whispers, as a few of the parents looked his way and glared.

"Isn't that-"

"It's _him_."

"I can't believe they would even give him a chance to become a Shinigami."

"I mean, they have to realize that-"

"_Shhh_! We're not supposed to talk about that…"

Ichigo looked away from the families. He couldn't hear them, but he was well aware of the looks and wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing him bothered.

It was only when his thoughts came around the idea of just leaving did a familiar face pop up beside him.

* * *

Off to the side, away from the groups of excited children and proud parents, Iruka and a very old man, with a beard as long as most of the children in the crowd, stood idly by as they watched the festivities continue.

"Umino Iruka," the old man spoke, his voice heavy in command as he raised a single eye to his fellow Shinigami, "we need to talk."

Before any of them noticed, Ichigo was already gone from his place under the tree.

* * *

"You know, Iruka-san just wants what's best for you, Ichigo." Mizuki assured one of his wards, as the two of them sat atop one of the many unoccupied balconies of Konoha, watching as the sun began to creep over the horizon.

Ichigo, despite his usual tendency to keep up an image of indifference, was rather adamant against his sensei assurances. "Yeah right. It's not like I care, but he's always had it out for me."

"He just wants what's best for you. He wants you to be strong, with all his heart." He glanced over to Ichigo, "But that will never happen if he goes easy on you." Maybe in the back his stubborn mind, Ichigo understood that.

"He's like you, ya know," Mizuki continued. "He never had parents or siblings to look for him. He's always been alone."

That didn't help Ichigo's ire. "But," he hesitated, "I _really_ wanted to graduate…"

They both gazed out towards the setting sun, comfortable in that moment of silence.

Then Mizuki perked up.

"Wait," He looked over to Ichigo with a confident smile, "maybe there _is_ a way for you to graduate!"

_That_ grabbed Ichigo's attention.

* * *

Later that night, across the village from the academy, Iruka lied quietly on his futon in his old apartment. His gaze held firmly to the ceiling, as his mind wandered to an earlier conversation he had with the old man.

_"Umino Iruka, we need to talk."_

_"What is it, Hokage-sama?"_

_"I know how you feel. You grew up just like Ichigo. Without the strength of a father or the love of a mother..." _

Iruka's eyes seemed distant as he recalled a particular night, twelve years ago. He recalled being grabbed by a Shinigami, as he was taken away to deeper parts of the village as swiftly as the Shinigami could take him.

He could still remember the screams and the last time he saw his parents.

But more than anything, he could remember the _screech_. The Hollow's screech.

There truly wasn't anything like it.

"Iruka-san! Iruka-san, wake up!"

Iruka's eyes opened, not realizing he'd been dozing off in his recollection, as he heard a voice from the door.

Opening it, he found Mizuki, sweating and looking _very_ nervous.

"Huh? Mizuki, what is it?"

"You need to come to the Hokage-sama's office right away! It's Ichigo!

"He took the Scroll of Seals!"

* * *

"Well, that wasn't too hard." Ichigo admitted to himself, a slight trickle of sweat going down his brow as he opened up the rather large scroll in front of him and glanced at the front page. He was in a small clearing on the outskirts of the village, just far enough that even a wayward villager wouldn't be able to find him easily without going deep off the village's pathways.

Ichigo glanced over the first thing in the scroll and couldn't help but look at it in surprise.

"…Huh." He blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing it right in the dark, "This might help." The excitement was starting to build up in him as he read over the contents.

He was starting to feel _very_ happy about his choice to take up Mizuki-sensei secret exam.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the centerfold of the village, where the Hokage's office lied just beneath the magnificent Hokage monument that was crafted into the local mountain, numerous Shinigami of various rank were gathered.

It was there that Iruka and Mizuki met and heard the numerous calls for action from their peers.

"Lord Hokage! This is not just a prank!" Shouted one of the Shinigami.

"This is a serious crime!" Shouted another.

"He's gone too far this time!"

"This is dangerous! _Very dangerous!_"

"That scroll holds the secrets passed down from the _Shodaime_ Hokage! If he gets that scroll of out of the village-"

CLACK!

Like a crack of thunder, the Lord Hokage, who stood at the front of the mob of Shinigami, brought down his wooden staff with a sound that silenced the arguing men.

He looked as relaxed as ever, but there was even a tension that anyone who knew him could see. "Find Kurosaki Ichigo at once!" The old man's voice never seemed to lose its tone of command and power.

The Shinigami, in return, followed his command to the dot, disappearing in flash as they went in search of their rogue villager and missing scroll.

* * *

On one of the tallest buildings of the village, Iruka appeared silently, urgently glancing around the nearby structures for any sign of his orange-haired ward. "Where would he go?" Iruka wondered aloud, before quickly disappearing from his place on the building to parts unknown.

In another part of the village, Mizuki flew down an empty street, as he made his way towards another part of the village.

He was smiling the entire way.

* * *

"Phew!" Ichigo shouted out, as he panted quietly in a spot in the woods. Sweat was coming down from his forehead and his otherwise normal clothes looked rather torn up.

Obviously, something had been going on for the last several hours he'd been away from the village.

He was so tired and worn out that he didn't even notice the presence in front of him until a shadow passed over him.

"It's all over, Ichigo." Iruka said, looking down at his student with no small amount of irritation. Alongside the irritation, however, was a small look of exhaustion coming from the academy teacher. He'd been searching for the boy for most of the night. Obviously, he hadn't taken a break to rest up, his determination set on finding his wayward pupil.

Ichigo, face still covered in sweat, panted slightly as he smiled up at Iruka, "Took you long enough, Iruka-sensei," Ichigo, begrudgingly, stood up to face his teacher, even as it felt like it was taxing him greatly. "Though, I gotta admit, you caught me before anyone else. I only had time to finish off one of the seals before you arrived."

Iruka blinked, finally taking in Ichigo haphazard appearance. He wondered what was going on, a first, but now it was starting to make sense. The Scroll of Seals held some serious and dangerous techniques in it. If even one was messed up, it could cause you some serious pain, or even death.

By the looks of it, Ichigo had messed up quite a bit and seen the consequences-

Wait.

"What do you mean; you finished one of the seals?" Perhaps he should have been a tad worried at that point, but by how Ichigo was looking, the proud look in his eyes, Iruka held back his worry for a moment. It wasn't like there was a Hollow running around just yet.

Ichigo, perhaps from exhaustion, missed his sensei's question, "If you give me a minute to catch my breath, I can show you what I've done! I'm sure it worked this time!" He paused for a moment. "But maybe we should wait for a while for Mizuki-sensei to get here." It felt only right, after all.

Now _that_ caught Iruka's attention. "Wait, hold a second," he caught Ichigo's attention this time, "what do you mean we should wait for Mizuki-san?"

Now Ichigo was confused, "Well, isn't that how it works?" He turned around to show Iruka the scroll held tightly to his back, "anyone who learns how to use one of the techniques in the scroll can become a Shinigami, right?" He turned back around, still confused. "Didn't you know that? Mizuki told me all about it. Told me where the scroll was, where I should go to study it, everything." To Ichigo, it really seemed like Mizuki wanted him to pass. He'd have to thank him, immensely, once he showed off what he'd learned.

Iruka, on the other hand, had a small band of sweat fall down his face. "Mizuki?"

His eyes widened as he heard something at the edge of his hearing. "Look out!"

With a shove, Iruka sent Ichigo flying out of the way, as dozens of knives flew from the surrounding forest and into Iruka's body. He hadn't even had time to pull out his Zanpakutō before the ambush occurred. All he could do was cover himself with his arms and hope to take the brunt of the damage.

A laugh echoed from the clearing, "Well, well, well, I see you found our little hideaway, _Iruka-san_."

Despite the pain coursing through his body, Iruka managed to block it off for a second as he glanced up to the nearby trees with a grimace. "Tsk, I should have known."

Up in the trees, holding himself steady from one of the larger branches, was a fully armed Mizuki.

"Ichigo!" Mizuki shouted. "Give me the scroll, now!"

Ichigo, taken aback from the situation, was just confused as to what was going on. "Wait, hold on a sec!" He glanced between his two teachers. "What the hell is going on here?!"

Iruka, starting to pant from the pain, shouted, "Ichigo! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden Kidō and techniques that could put the village in grave danger!"

It was only now that Ichigo, perhaps in a moment of internal ignorance, realized just how _big_ the scroll tied to his back really was.

"Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself and betray the village!" Even in the tense atmosphere, Ichigo was beginning to piece together the information of just what was going on.

Ichigo would feel like an idiot later on for falling for such an obvious trick.

"Ichigo," Mizuki spoke out in a calm voice, "Iruka is just trying to trick you because he doesn't want you to have the scroll!"

Again, with the heavy amounts of tension and danger in the air, Ichigo might have been having some difficulty discerning who was telling the truth.

Mizuki was a kind and good man from what he'd seen in the academy. He'd never lied to him.

On the other hand, Iruka had been a bit of pain in the back since he'd known him. But still, it had seemed like Iruka cared for him, now and then. Plus, Mizuki wasn't the one who had a dozen knives sticking out of random places.

In this situation, Ichigo's most valuable asset, his common sense, was trying to discern who was telling the truth or not.

Mizuki seemed to sense the inner struggle, as he laughed at the boy's obvious trouble, "Oh, believe me, _Ichigo_, I'm not who's been lying to you, _all these years._" There was obvious suggestion in his voice that caught both individuals on the ground floor's attention.

It was only Iruka who seemed to understand just what Mizuki was saying. "NO MIZUKI! STOP!"

"They've been lying to you _from the very beginning_." Mizuki continued, ignoring his former peer entirely. "After all, since the decree by the Hokage, no one's been able to tell you the _truth_."

Ichigo, despite himself, was interested, "What decree? What are you talking about?"

Mizuki's sneer widened. "Everyone knows it except for _you._ Iruka's been keeping it from you, even now. He'd do _anything_ to shut me up." It was true. If Iruka had the strength, he'd have wiped that smug look off of Mizuki's face that very second.

"What secret are you talking about?" Ichigo was beginning to get nervous.

"Don't do it Mizuki! It's forbidden!"

Mizuki's face took a cruel edge to it. "The decree is that no one can tell you that the Hollow that attacked our village twelve years ago IS INSIDE YOU!"

* * *

Ichigo stiffened in place.

He had to have heard him wrong. Right?

I mean, everyone knew the Hollow was killed _twelve years ago_ by the Yondaime Hokage. That's what the teacher's told the students; it's what Ichigo put on his final academic exam; it's what he'd been told for _twelve years._

"The demonic spirit that killed Iruka's parents and thousands of other villagers has taken over your body!" Mizuki seemed to be taking great pleasure in watching the usually stoic Kurosaki wither under the pressure of his words.

But it was his final words that really set Ichigo off.

"YOU ARE THE WHITE HOLLOW!"

"STOP IT!" Iruka yelled as Mizuki cackled. Ichigo looked like he'd just had his whole life connect in that single moment and the rush was too much for him to handle.

The villager's looks. Why he'd had such a hard childhood. Why no one seemed to be willing to give him the time of day-

It all made sense now. It all made sense.

It was because he was the Hollow.

And then, his anger at the situation reached his boiling point.

"You're lying!" Ichigo's teeth were gritted tightly together, his eyes were narrowed and his fist looked ready to punch someone's lights out. "YOU'RE LYING!"

All the while, Mizuki took a cruel glee at his change in his usual attitude. "Yes! That's right! You will never be accepted in this village, you monster! Even Iruka hates your guts!"

Iruka, meanwhile, was still stuggling to pull the remaining knives from his person. This was not good. Not good at all. If things continued, he wasn't sure what would happen.

_"You must understand, Iruka."_

It was funny. Despite the situation, Iruka's mind went back to the conversation he had with the Hokage earlier that day. The one he'd been reflecting on earlier that night.

_"Kurosaki Ichigo has never felt the care of a father or mother his entire life. He is shut out from the world around him and doesn't know why. Most of the village would sooner choose to pretend he doesn't exist than to acknowledge him._

_"How would you feel if, everywhere you went, people turned their backs to you? That's why he gets in trouble and I think that's why he hangs out at those graveyards, so much. He wants people to see him. He'd sooner beat up a couple of younglings for some stupid reason, just so he can be seen by you or the people around him._

_"It may not show, but Ichigo is always thinking about the family he never had or will ever know. He bottles his emotions up so that people do not know that it hurts him inside to see their happy faces."_

* * *

Back in the real world, however, things were not looking as bright as Iruka's memory, as Mizuki carefully pulled out his Zanpakutō.

His smile was anything but friendly.

"_Fly through the air and strike my foes down_! **Sandāsutā**!" From the hilt of the katana-like sword, the blade seemed to melt as if under extreme heat. It than began to swirl around the handle before jutting out into a star-like shape, the metal forming into what might have been shuriken in design.

As Mizuki held the hilt in the middle of make-shift-star-shaped shuriken, however, it startled both parties on the ground when it began to crackle and spark with obvious levels of electricity.

If Mizuki wasn't laughing before, he was certainly now. "HAHAHA! DIE, HOLLOW! DIE!" Mizuki tossed his Zanpakutō as hard as he could, as the lightning coursed through it and flew at its target.

Ichigo stood his ground as Sandāsutā came flying at him. But it was no use. It was coming to fast. He was only human, with no Reiryoku control to speak of. He was to slow and to stunned to make a move away from the oncoming Zanpakutō.

"Ichigo!"

SPLAT!

The next second was an odd one, to be sure. One moment, Ichigo was standing, the next, he was on the ground, with Iruka on top of him.

The star-shaped Zanpakutō planted firmly in his spine, with currents of electricity continuing to course through it.

Ichigo was surprised. Heck, Mizuki was stunned that Iruka could move fast enough to beat his Zanpakutō's speed.

Ichigo was the first to break the uneasy silence in the clearing.

"Why?"

It was an honest question. And the answer, just as honest, was no doubt surprising to the boy he was protecting.

"_Because we're_ _the same_." Iruka managed to goran out, as his mind, once more, wandered to memories from before tonight. "_When I lost my parents, I didn't have anyone. No one seemed to care that I was alone. They didn't have time for me. Everyone just forgot I was there._" Iruka coughed up some blood. "_My grades dropped. I became the class clown just so people would acknowledge that I was there. That I existed. That they knew my name. I didn't have the skills to impress them, so I did crazy, stupid things and then I had to pay for it._"

Ichigo looked up at Iruka's face. He was crying. His words, more then anything, a revelation towards himself as it was for Ichigo. "_It was hard. And I know that's how you feel. You feel lonely and it hurts – it hurts **so bad**._" He shook his head. "_I should have been there for you more. No one should have to go through that much. No one should be alone like that._" He looked at Ichigo right in the eyes.

"I'm _sorry_. I am so, so _sorry_."

The entire time, Ichigo was wide-eyed. This was just too much. This whole night was just too much to handle.

But, like the scum Ichigo was just starting to realize Mizuki was, the silver-haired Shinigami just laughed at them. "Don't make me laugh! You always hated him! He took away your parents! There's no one I could forgive someone like him!" He pointed at Ichigo's face behind Iruka. "You're the reason why this village has suffered! You are the cause of all this pain!"

Ichigo had enough of this.

Before anyone could say anything, the boy slipped out from under Iruka's guard and ran into the forest.

Scroll tied firmly to his back.

Iruka saw the look on the boy's face. "Ichigo! ICHIGO!" It wasn't true. None of it was. He couldn't believe Mizuki, he couldn't. If he did, the traitor to the village would win!

But Mizuki had gotten to him. He'd played them both. And now, seeing him running off, he had his chance of achieving both goals that night.

But first, Mizuki had a loose end to tie up. "You know, Ichigo's a stubborn one. Once he's made up his mind, there's no turning back for him." Iruka was beginning to wonder if that sneer of Mizuki's was always there and he'd just never noticed it till tonight. "You know what he'll do, right? He'll use the scroll to take revenge on the village. And why shouldn't he? He has every right to."

Mizuki stepped off from the tree and landed a little off from Iruka's prone figure. "You saw that look in his eyes, didn't you? Those are the eyes of a monster." He raised his hand out towards Iruka, as Sandāsutā popped out of his back and flew back to its owner.

It surprised Mizuki quite a bit that, even with the electricity still coursing through his former colleague, the man still managed to prop himself up with the help of his Zanpakutō sheath.

"No." Iruka strained with a heavy breath. "You're wrong. Ichigo," His eyes flared up, "ISN'T LIKE THAT!"

He drew his Zanpakutō and made to slash at Mizuki. If Iruka had been uninjured and not having ran for an entire night in search of the missing Ichigo, it was undeniable that he would have proven a good challenge against the rogue Shinigami in front of him.

Sadly, those conditions were not available to him. So, with a mere flic of his arm, Mizuki managed to, not only knock Iruka's incoming sword strike away from him, but also knock the academy teacher off his balance.

"You're a joke," Mizuki insulted, "once I get Ichigo and the scroll, I'll come back for you." He chuckled, before disappearing into the trees. "Don't die just yet, Iruka-san!"

"Stop right there!" Iruka growled, once more trying to push himself up with the help of his sword. "_I won't let you get away with this_!"

* * *

On top of the Hokage office, the Sandaime stood firmly as he looked out into the village. He felt a great disturbance in the air, as his senses finally picked up on his missing ward.

The powers of the Sandaime were not widely known. But, to those who knew the depths of power he held, no one would be surprised when he muttered, "Mizuki, you rascal. Is he trying to set off the Hollow's seal?" His eyes, already seemingly closed from thought, opened slightly. "If Ichigo becomes too stressed it might, inadvertently, break the seal and release the Hollow back into the village!"

* * *

Ichigo continued to run through the dense forests of Konahagakure, trying to head towards the nearest lights he could see through the dense foliage and trees.

"Ichigo!" A yell came out from behind, as Iruka came bounding up beside him. "You have to believe me! Everything Mizuki said was a lie! Give me the scroll, quickly!" Ichigo's eyes widened, before the most peculiar thing happened.

He leapt forward and gave the hardest punch to Iruka's face he'd ever given anyone.

Iruka was sent flying down the path towards the village, as Ichigo skid from his dead man's pace to a stop some distance from Iruka.

Ichigo was panting as Iruka stood up from his fallen state, rubbing his bruised face as he glared over to Ichigo.

"How?" Iruka asked, as an image shimmered around his person, "How did you know I wasn't Iruka?" The image shimmered away to reveal Mizuki's befallen image, a solid bruise forming on his cheek.

Ichigo smirked, as he fell back to a nearby tree, panting slightly as a similar image fell off of his person.

"Because _I'm_ _Iruka._" Iruka smiled triumphantly, as Mizuki glared. "Hadō number 2! Henge!" Iruka chuckled as Mizuki made his way to stand up. "It's funny. Weren't we the ones to teach that Kidō to the kids this year?"

Despite the situation, Mizuki laughed despite himself. "You're a fool, Iruka. Why are you protecting that _freak_?!" His tone was accusatory and upset. He was so taken aback with the current situation, he hadn't even sensed, not twenty meters away, a shocked Ichigo watching the events unfold behind a tree.

Iruka shook his head. "I don't care what you say. You're _not_ getting your hands on that scroll!"

"Ha! As if you could stop me!" To Mizuki, this whole experience was laughable. "Don't you get it? He's just like me! Willing to do what he feels is right without considering if it's right or wrong! Those brats at the cemetery are a perfect example!"

"That's a pretty poor example. Those kids knocked down a vase."

"What does it matter? The point is, that scroll is power, and that is something Ichigo lacks. No Reiryoku, no Zanpakutō, _nothing_. That scroll is his key to a better life, we both know it." He laughed. "It's just like a monster to want more and more _power_."

Iruka paused for a moment in his thoughts. "You're right."

Ichigo, from his place behind the trees, heard the whole thing.

So that was it. Iruka had been lying to him.

He was just a monster. He shouldn't have been surprised. I mean, he – or, rather, the Hollow – killed his parents. Why wouldn't he be upset?

He shouldn't have been surprised. He shouldn't have felt hurt. But he did.

And it hurt _so bad._

"You're right, that is how monsters are, but Ichigo is _no monster_! He's nothing like that!" Ichigo's head shot up at those words. "Ichigo is one of a kind; he works hard, puts his whole heart into it! Sure, he may not have any skill in Kidō or anything that requires Reiryoku, but that doesn't stop him! He gives it his all, no hesitation! His failures have only made him more determined."

Iruka's eyes glanced at Mizuki. "_That's_ what separates Ichigo from a _monster._ _That's_ what makes him _Kurosaki Ichigo._"

Ichigo was too stunned to do or say anything.

Mizuki, on the other hand, reached for Sandāsutā tied behind his back and brought it forward. "You don't actually expect me to believe that nonsense, do you?" He shook his head, "Iruka Iruka Iruka. I _was_ planning to save you for later. But now," Sandāsutā began to spin in his hand wildly, "I CHANGED MY MIND!" He rushed forward at the prone Iruka, expecting to cut him clean in half.

Iruka, sitting with his back to the tree, acknowledged that this was it.

Fortunately for him, he had one stubborn student.

Before either of them realized it, Ichigo appeared in front of Iruka and struck a heavy blow to the un-expecting rogue Shinigami.

A hard punch to the face, and Mizuki went flying. Sandāsutā flying out of his hands and through the forest, out of sight.

Skidding to a stop away from Iruka, Mizuki let out a huff as he turned back to his former student. "Not bad, for a punk like you." He made his way to stand, not even noticing his missing Zanpakutō.

Ichigo removed the scroll from his back and planted it firmly beside him. "If you want to get to Iruka-sensei," he placed all of hate into his eyes as he glared at his former sensei, "you're gonna have to get through me first!"

Mizuki wasn't feeling threatened, however. "Big words for a no-talent, like you." He raised his fist up to the boy, "I don't even _need_ my Zanpakutō to finish you both off!"

"It's your funeral!" Ichigo let go of the scroll and lifted up the bottom of his shirt, to the surprise of Mizuki and Iruka. From his naval and all around his stomach, an intricate design of marks and swirls were seen on his entire torso. Neither teacher even knew where he got the ink to do this from, but the boy didn't stop as he raised his other arm up.

"Here goes nothing!" Ichigo yelled, "**Reirkai**!" He slammed his other hand into the naval of his stomach, and the effect was immediate.

The forest was filled with a rush of air and light, surrounding all parties in an enormous amount of Reiryoku energy, with Ichigo being the center of it all.

* * *

Throughout the village, the light could be seen from inside the forest, as the still searching Shinigami stopped in their tracks to see the massive amount of light and energy coming from the forest.

They feared the worst had happened.

* * *

Atop the Hokage offices, the Sandaime himself stared out to the forested area and held his wooden staff a little tighter.

* * *

Eventually, the light dimmed, along with the very air around them slowing back to a calm breeze like before. Both teachers moved their arms away from their eyes and glanced at what had just occurred.

Standing at the center of the eruption of energy was Kurosaki Ichigo like neither parties had seen him before.

From top to bottom, the boy wore similar, if not exactly the same, sort of black kimono as the two teachers wore themselves.

He stood, tall and proud as he always did, his eyes closed as he finally took in the rush of energy that had so long been kept contained within him.

Then, he opened his eyes, and looked hard at Mizuki. "So," his voice was calm, as his right hand reached behind his shoulder to his back, "still think I'm the same 'no-talent punk' from before?"

Mizuki, still taken aback from what was happening, roared at the boy's cockiness. "Damn you!" He yelled, as he ran at the boy. Zanpakutō or not, he was still a boy with no experience and talent! He was a trained Chugami! There was no way he could-

**Shing**!

Like a flash, Ichigo was gone, with Mizuki stunned at where he could have gone. But he didn't have to worry for long, as the sudden pain in his shoulder took more than enough of his attention than a disappearing brat.

Oh. And the blood that came with the pain? Yeah, that too.

"Ch-YAAAHHHH!" Mizuki screamed, as his shoulder spouted a torrent of blood from it. He held it, reflexively, as he glanced behind himself to see Ichigo standing there, calmly.

And he noticed the thing being held comfortably from Ichigo's shoulder. It was large, thick and radiating with a level of Reiryoku he'd never seen before. It was as if a faucet was being turned on and letting all its contents poor out without hesitation.

Even in his pained state, Mizuki knew all too well what that was.

Kurosaki Ichigo had received his Zanpakutō.

To the side, Iruka's eyes were wide, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Ichigo…how?" He didn't finish, but his face turned into a grin as he took in Ichigo's appearance. He was still unsure of how that Shinigami kimono appeared, but at the moment, he didn't care.

Ichigo had done it. He'd harnessed his Reiryoku.

Ichigo, eyes still cold as they were from the beginning of the fight, raised his sword to the sky and held it upwards. Mizuki, now petrified in fear with his Zanpakutō, stumbled backward as he took in Ichigo's dominating Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure).

"Mizuki-sensei," Ichigo's voice called out to trembling man. The last think Mizuki would recall was the coldness of Ichigo's eyes before the next words struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"_Sayonara_."

He brought his sword down and only a scream could be heard.

* * *

Of course, Ichigo hadn't _killed_ the rogue Shinigami. That would have been to much for him. Instead, he'd felt like a rather large cut down the front would have been enough to make his point.

He'd live, at the very least. Hopefully.

Ichigo, despite himself, looked rather sheepish at what he'd done. "Ah, sorry about that." He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I kinda got carried away there."

Despite the pain, Iruka nodded. "Maybe a little." He admitted, but he was smiling brightly. That was amazing. "Hey Ichigo."

"Hmm?"

"Come here for a sec, will ya? I got something for ya."

Ichigo blinked at his weakened sensei, but nonetheless complied.

* * *

At the front of the Hokage's offices, the Shinigami were gathered around and seemed to be two steps from a full on frenzy.

"Did you see that?"

"Yeah, how couldn't I?"

"This is bad. This is really, _really bad_!"

"What should we do? That couldn't have been a coincidence!"

CLACK!

The noise from the Shinigami present diminished, as the Sandaime stood at the front, once more, with a notably calmer expression than before.

"The danger has passed. Kurosaki Ichigo will be returning here, soon enough, with scroll in hand." The Shinigami seemed startled by this new knowledge, as their Hokage just looked out towards the dawning sun.

"In the meantime, go get some sleep! It's not healthy to stay out this late!"

* * *

"Here!" Iruka smiled brightly, as he held out his own Zanpakutō. Ichigo blinked at the gesture. "You said you wanted to hold it, right? Here."

Ichigo was unsure of the gesture. "But I kinda already got one." He pointed to his back.

Iruka smiled. "Well, if you don't wanna-"

"No no." He grabbed the sword by its hilt and pulled it out of its sheath. "Huh. Heavier than I thought it would be."

Iruka watched as Ichigo gave it a few practice swings, testing the feel, before frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Doesn't really matter, does it?" He passed back the sword. "I mean, I didn't even pass."

Iruka looked confused. "And what makes you say that?"

"Uh, you kinda told me so. Remember?"

Iruka crossed his arms. "Hmm…Ichigo," he held out his hand, "give me your Zanpakutō."

Ichigo, confused, complied. With a quick swish, he pulled it out of its sheath on his back and held it to his sensei.

Iruka looked it over, one hand on the blade, the other on the hilt. "Hmm…hmmm…uh-huh…" Iruka nodded, before holding it by its handle back to Ichigo. "Yeah. I think this is acceptable."

"Uh, acceptable for what?"

Iruka smiled. "For graduation."

Ichigo didn't register his words at first. He just blinked uncertainly, before his eyes widened, "Wait, what?"

Iruka laughed. "How about we go celebrate tonight. Any restaurant you want, my treat!"

Ichigo still held a stunned expression before straightening up and, having only done this in a few classes at the academy, gave a deep, awkward bow. "Thank you sensei!"

Iruka struggled to his feet, smiling brightly, as he returned the gesture to his ward. He wanted to warn Ichigo about the dangers of becoming a Shinigami – the assignments, enemy Shinigami, conflict, war, everything.

But, that could wait for later.


	2. Konohamaru

Zanpakutō. The main weapon of a Shinigami. Commonly referred to as 'Soul-Cutter' sword or 'Soul Slayer'. The reason behind this is obvious, once understood.

A Shinigami's Zanpakutō is a representation of one's own soul, made weaponized. The hilt, the cross guard, the blade itself – all made from the individual's own soul through the use of their Reiryoku.

Each Zanpakutō, as a result of being created by an individual's own soul, is one of a kind. No other sword is in the entire history of the Elemental Nations will be like one's own. Whether by shape, size, weight or abilities, each Zanpakutō has been said to feel different from any other by experts in the study of said swords.

Beyond simply being a representation of one's soul, however, there are also the unique qualities of a Zanpakutō. That is to say, a Zanpakutō isn't merely just a hunk of wood tied to a sharpened piece of metal. The Zanpakutō are unique by their ability to channel Reiryoku, or 'spiritual energies', for those who skipped one or two classes at the academy, into their swords, altering them in unusual ways. From the size of their swords to their cutting power, Reiryoku control is essential for bringing out the power in one's Zanpakutō.

Improper control could cause one's Zanpakutō to, theoretically, grow to sizes as tall as buildings while having the cutting power of a homemade butter knife. That is why individuals of higher levels of spiritual power must be consciously aware of how their Reiryoku is affecting their swords, until the point where it becomes second nature to them.

And of course, their also the most important ability of a Zanpakutō. An ability that all Shinigami possess, but only destined few are capable of achieving control over.

But I'll save that explanation for another time. For now, let's see how our newest Shinigami is doing…

* * *

"Uh, kid, are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, uh, don't you wanna smile or somethin'? You kinda look…well, _angry_, ta be honest."

"…I always look this way."

"Oh." The photographer looked uncomfortable. "Well alright then. Uh, then just hold still for a moment, and…"

FLASH!

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage hailed himself as a patient individual. Various years of war and peace had constructed his personality to fit the times and situations he was involved in.

Currently, he sat in his office, looking over an identification paper of the orange haired troublemaker in front of him.

Name: Kurosaki Ichigo

Age: 12

Birthday: July 15

Hair color: Orange

Eye color: Brown

Occupation: Shinigami

Rank: Gegami

At the top of the info was a photo of Kurosaki Ichigo in his black kimono attire and Zanpakutō.

If the Sandaime didn't know any better, he'd say the boy wanted to punch the camera man, based solely on the photo taken.

That scowl was bound to scare a few clients away…

"I don't see what the big deal is." Ichigo admitted, understanding that there was obvious something wrong with his photo. "He wanted me to look natural so I did-"

"Retake it."

"Wha?" This obviously wasn't what Ichigo had expected. "Why the hell should I?!"

"For one, you are wearing the uniform associated for wear by only Chugami or higher ranked Shinigami; second, you're wearing your Zanpakutō in the photo and third, that face of yours could scare little children!" The Hokage was anything, if not honest (and blunt).

Ichigo was adamant, however. "No way, Yama-jii! It was already a pain in the ass to take in the first place! Why would I take it again?"

"The Shinigami Identification book lists all Shinigami in the village. Alongside their abilities, their Zanpakutō and other relevant informational pieces." The Hokage leaned forward in his chair. "This is a very important document and your picture does not place you in the best light!"

Ichigo had the grace to, at least, look mildly annoyed even after the explanation.

"Still-"

_Kreek_…

Both individuals in the room blinked as they looked towards the door as it was swung open by…well…

A toddler.

"It's time to die, ojii-san!" A young boy, who wore a rather long scarf around his neck and what appeared to be an oddly designed helmet on his head, yelled, as he rushed into the room with a kitchen knife in hand.

Ichigo was rather surprised with the intrusion while the Hokage, more or less, attempted to pretend the boy wasn't there.

Even more so when the young boy tripped on his scarf and fell promptly onto the wooden floor (luckily avoiding the knife) and turned on the waterworks.

"AHH! YOUNG MASTER!" Another intrusion, this time from a Shinigami wearing dark-round glasses, interrupted them. Ichigo was beginning to wonder what the hell was going on, while the Hokage looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there.

"Damn it!" The boy – Konahamaru – yelled from the floor. "Ebisu-sensei! Someone tripped me!"

The occupants in the room seem confused. Everyone was a good six feet from the boy to begin with.

While the intruding Shinigami – Ebisu – began to explain this to the young man, Ichigo was just watching the interaction with a mix of uncertainty and confusion as to what was going on.

"Hey, you!" Konahamaru pointed to Ichigo, sitting in his chair with a slight air of ire to him. "I know it was you! You tripped me, didn't you?!"

Ichigo looked rather solemn, all things considered. "I don't even think I'll justify that statement with an answer." He stood up. "Instead," his face took an unnatural, almost _evil_ look to it, "I think I'll just discipline you on how to treat your elders!"

"Ah! Don't you _dare_ touch him, you ruffian!" Ebisu cried out. "That is the Hokage's grandson!"

Ichigo took a moment to register what he just said, comparing the old man to the runt, as Konahamaru smirked in front of him. "Come on then! Go ahead, hit me!"

He was just like the others, Konahamaru figured. Once they knew who he was and who he was related to, everyone treated him like he was used to.

Ebisu, his friends, and everyone else-

POW!

"Wipe that grin off your face, you damn brat!"

The Hokage just groaned as Ebisu looked ready to have a hernia at what he'd just seen.

* * *

After the whole situation was cleared up about the photo (in which case, Ichigo remained adamant in his stance that he would not be retaking it) Ichigo found himself with a bit of free time on his hands.

The sun was warm, the birds were chirping, there wasn't a cloud in the sky-

And the brat from before wouldn't stop following him.

For the last mile or so, Konahamaru seemed to be fixated in watching every move Ichigo made as he followed him around the village. Ichigo, to his credit, heard the boy falling him the entire time. He'd figured by five to ten minutes he'd grow bored of following him and go home.

That, sadly, wasn't looking to be the case.

Ichigo came to a stop in the middle of the road. "Alright then," he muttered to himself, before turning around and pointing to a poorly created disguise, "stop following me!" He shouted. "You aren't fooling anyone with that!"

There was a pause, for a moment, before Konahamaru pulled his disguise-cloak off his back and smiled. "Hehe, impressive. You managed to see through my cover. Very impressive." He snickered excitedly before pointing into Ichigo's face for a second time that day. "That's it! I've decided! _You_ will be my boss!"

"…Wha?"

"And in exchange, you have to train me so that I can defeat my ojii-san!"

"…Wha?"

Konahamaru, seeing his words weren't doing much in the area of 'persuasion,' clamped his hands together in a pleading manner. "Please boss?! Please please pleeeeease?!"

"…"

And today had been turning out so nicely…

* * *

"Young master! YOUNG MASTER!" Ebisu yelled from around the Hokage's office. "Damn it! He got away _again_!"

The Hokage, passing by him on his way to another part of the office, muttered a tired, "Looks like he followed Ichigo," as he passed the irate teacher. It would have unnerved him any other day to see any of his grandchildren running off with a known delinquent of the village, but considering Konohamaru's absence gave a momentary reprieve from the constant 'assassination' attempts of the day, he was willing to let the boy hang out with the known troublemaker, if only for an hour or two of peace, at least.

Ebisu did not take the information nearly as well. "NOOOOOO! YOUNG MASTER!" He promptly ran out of the building and out to find his missing ward.

The Hokage, meanwhile, had a suddenly quite office, almost entirely to himself.

Things were looking up.

* * *

"Alright!" Ichigo yelled, as the two youngsters found themselves in one of the numerous training areas of the village. "Show me what you got!" He held his arms wide. "Come at me like you would Yama-jii!"

Konohamaru nodded eagerly. "Right boss!" Then, with that, he pulled out the knife he had earlier and went at Ichigo in a charge.

Ichigo promptly lifted his leg up and let Konohamaru run into his foot. The boy, promptly, fell over holding his face in pain, knife forgotten.

"That was pathetic!" Ichigo barked out, as Konohamaru managed to open his hands from his bruised nose.

"Y-you didn't say you would hit back boss!" He cried, as Ichigo crossed his arms.

"Well, I didn't say I _wouldn't_ hit you, now did I?"

Konohamaru was starting to look ready to cry. "N-no, but-"

Ichigo frowned. "Get up. You wanted me to train you, right?" Konohamaru nodded. "Well than pain is part of training!" He walked over and picked up the knife before tossing it to the side. "Now stand up and do it again."

Konohamaru nodded, managing to push the tears back. He stood up, his legs threatening to buckle for a brief second, before giving out an angry shout and running back at him.

He managed to dodge the initial kick.

* * *

Ebisu ran through the crowded streets of Konohagakure, search for any sign of orange hair and extra-long scarf.

I was no secret that the lead Shinigami instructor held no small amount of dislike towards the Konaha delinquent. Rowdy, ill-mannered, no respect for authority; to Ebisu, there was nothing about the boy that he felt wasn't worth his contempt.

And the fact he was the container of the White Hollow didn't help matters, either.

And now, Kurosaki Ichigo had gotten his hands on Konohamaru!

"I have to be quick!" Ebisu told himself. "No telling how that boy's _corruptible_ influence will be affecting my precious student!" Ebisu was a proud man. He'd had a solid career of training potential candidates for the positions of Jogami and higher for _years._ He truly believed that, under his tutorship, Konohamaru would be destined to become the Godaime Hokage!

* * *

After some time, Ichigo and Konohamaru sat down on a log beside a vending machine in the training ground, relaxing after some light training (which was, majority wise, just Ichigo teaching Konohamaru how to dodge). Konohamaru looked rather beaten after his numerous attempts at besting Ichigo, but seemed to be in a better mood now.

Like Ichigo always believed: beating someone down always helps them in the end (or, something like that).

"Hey, Konohamaru," Ichigo spoke up after a few minutes of lazing about, "what's with you and Yama-jii? You got a bone to pick or somethin'?"

Konohamaru paused for a second before answering. "My ojii-san is the strongest ninja in the village." Ichigo didn't talk so that prompted the boy to continue. "Ojii-san's the one who gave me my name to begin with. The 'Konoha' in Konohamaru isn't just for show. He named me after the village. That's not something simple to live up to.

"People expect, because of my grandfather, that I'll grow up to do great things for the village. But I haven't yet." His eyes were growing less and less cheerful as he continued on. "People see me and they see the 'Hokage's grandson.' Not me. Not Konohamaru." He brought his legs up and hugged them to himself. "I know this might sound lame, but it's not easy to be related to a Hokage."

Ichigo, having listened quietly through the speech, brought his drink to his lips. "I can imagine."

"That's why I have to beat the Hokage!" The scarfed boy yelled. "So I can create a name for myself based on what _I_ do and not what my _ojii-san's_ done." His hands were trembling. "And the only way to do that is beating him and becoming the new Hokage!"

Ichigo stared at him after his declaration. "I'd suggest finding another dream, then." He crushed the can in his hands and tossed it into the nearby trash bin. "Because right now, you have as much chance of being the Hokage as _I do._"

"What?!"

"Well, think about it." He stood up. "If it were _really_ so easy to be Hokage, _I'd_ have gone ahead and done it _myself_." He smiled. "So that's what you're gonna have to do." He reached behind his back and with a quick swing, brought his Zanpakutō out.

"If you really want to be the Hokage," He looked the bewildered Hokage in the eye, "then you're gonna have to beat me _first_."

* * *

On top of the Hokage offices, the Sandaime looked at the monument dedicated to all Hokage's before him. He always marveled at the design put into it. While impressive in craft, the old man would almost laugh at the likeness.

The Shodaime's face didn't quite catch the powerful expression he once had. The Nidaime's hair wasn't quite that short and his helmet was more prominent than the architect gave it credit.

And his personal head…well, he had to wonder if his mustache at the time was _really_ that obnoxious.

Then there was the Yondaime…

"Hokage-sama!"

Appearing seemingly out of thin air to any citizen, Iruka appeared behind the Hokage. Despite being wrapped with several bandages, Iruka was still smiling brightly as if nothing had happened in the previous couple nights. "I've been looking for you, Hokage-sama."

"Hmm? And for what purpose?" The Hokage asked, not even turning around to acknowledge the Chugami as he continued looking at the stone features of the Yondaime.

"I just came to check and see if Ichigo resubmitted his Shinigami ID photo?" The teacher inquired, walking up beside the Hokage as he glanced up to the stone monuments himself. "You know, I gave him the run down on how he should act now that he's a Shinigami in service." He gave a small laugh. "But he thinks that just because he became a Gegami, he's done listening to his old sensei and people will stop looking down on him."

That sounded like him. Always confident despite everything. It was a trait that the Hokage admired in him, despite his tendencies to cause quite a mess for him, now and then.

However, "I fear that the hard road ahead may be harder for him than anyone else in the village."

Iruka was surprised by his words. "Huh?"

The Hokage pressed his lips together. "People's thoughts don't change so easily. Especially when it comes to the case with Ichigo's _special_ condition." His gaze turned away from the monument to look into Iruka's uncertain features. "I'd hoped that, even with my severe punishments to those who spoke about Ichigo and the Hollow in the same sentence, I would be able to hide the connection between the two so that my successor's wishes would be honored and Ichigo could live some level of normalcy.

"But I was wrong. Despite my hopes, my successor's dying wish that Kurosaki Ichigo would be viewed as a hero from the people was not realized. Many believe that Ichigo _is_ the Hollow reborn and others just see him as a way to vent their repressed feelings of loss." The Sandaime almost looked lost in thought to Iruka. "We all lost someone that day, but that is not the reason why we should go blaming others for our loses. I'd hoped the villagers would realize that, even without the law I passed. But even with it, their anger and hatred towards Ichigo, even without words, passed to their children.

"They kept away from him, not knowing the truth. It is not the children's fault that they listen to their parents, and it is not the parent's fault that they fear. No one can quite imagine going up against one of those creatures alone. Its sheer power is both terrible and unimaginable. The villager's fears were passed to their children and through that, the children have grown a level of that same fear, as well, only they do not recognize it or understand why they treat the boy the way they do.

"And so they hate him."

Iruka was open-mouthed. He didn't know what to say as the Hokage turned back to Hokage Monument.

* * *

"Ha! I found you!" Came a yell from the trees, as Ichigo and Konohamaru looked behind them to see Ebisu, sweaty and looking quite anxious, standing from one of the thicker branches.

Ichigo stared over to Ebisu, who returned the glance back with an icy stare. Ichigo had seen that same look many times before. Only now he knew why he was receiving it.

"So, young master," Ebisu leapt down from the trees and made his way over to two boys, "let's resume our lessons back at the Hokage's office, shall we?"

Konohamaru shook his head. "No way! I am _not_ going back! I'm learning _way_ more about how to beat my ojii-san from Ichigo than I ever did from _you_!"

Ebisu was undeterred, however. "A Hokage is more than just a _fighter_. A Hokage must know the virtues of being a leader, political grace and be one with the people." He glanced at Ichigo. "This _riff-raff_ doesn't even know the meaning of these things. _He_ could only teach the art of _delinquency_ and _misbehavior_."

Ichigo frowned at his words. He had to admit, what he said about Hokage, it sounded right and he certainly seemed to have the charismatic part of being Hokage down.

His blatant rudeness, however.

"Don't insult the boss!" Konohamaru growled out as he rushed his personal instructor head on like he'd done a hundred times before.

Ebisu, to his credit and skill, expected as much and allowed the boy to rush at him.

As Konohamaru leapt at Ebisu with the intention to punch him in the gut, like many times before, Ebisu merely stepped to the side and allowed him to fly past, unharmed.

Then, like every other time before, Ebisu reached out for his student's long scarf and disable him from attacking further.

But this wasn't like the times before.

* * *

Konohamaru was on his knees as he looked up to Ichigo, arms crossed, looked down to his 'underling.'

"I don't get it, boss," Konohamaru muttered, "why can't I _hit you_."

Ichigo looked at the boy on his knees, panting after some hard practice, before walking up beside him and looking down at him.

He waved his hand down to the boy. He didn't kneel down, he just reached down from his standing position and waved his hand, as if trying to touch the kneeling boy.

He couldn't reach him. "_That. That_ is what you need to take advantage of."

* * *

Konohamaru saw the grab coming. His feet hit the ground and, despite his natural instinct to run away like a hundred of times before had told, instead, he decided to go with his advantage.

He landed and brought himself as low to the ground as possible, scarf and all, with Ebisu reaching out and grasping thin air, narrowly missing the scarf.

The instructor was surprised.

"Take this!" Konohamaru yelled, as he once more leapt at his instructor, who was now much closer to the boy than he was prior.

The movement struck Ebisu by surprise. Not one, but _two_ moves he hadn't expected to see. And this time, a simple sidestep wouldn't cut it for avoiding the Hokage's grandson's mad punch.

Konohamaru's punch closed in on the instructor's exposed stomach before, in a flash, Ebisu was gone from sight. Even while in midair, Konohamaru had an expression like 'what the?' before landing on grass, once more.

Ebisu himself reappeared behind the boy in that instant. "Now," he reached down to the surprised Konohamaru, "it is time to go back." This time, he caught the scarf successfully and began to pull it and Konohamaru in tow back to the village, as the young boy pulled angrily away from Ebisu with all his might.

"No! I don't wanna! I want to stay with Ichigo!"

"Nonsense! That delinquent will teach you nothing but mediocre skills and techniques! Only my training will put you on the quick and easy road to becoming Hokage!"

Konohamaru continued to fight him. "Just leave me alone!"

"Hey, you!" Both instructor and student paused in their game of tug to look up to Ichigo's irritable expression. "What do you think you're doing to my underling?"

"UNDERLING?!" Ebisu's expression was comical as he glanced at Ichigo's scowl.

"If you're going to take Konohamaru, you're first gonna have to face me!" Ichigo lifted his thumb to point to himself, as he got into a ready stance to challenge the older Shinigami.

Ebisu looked at the orange-haired Shinigami with contempt as he released Konohamaru's scarf. He smirked as he fixed his glasses. "You? Challenge me?" He chuckled. "This should be worth a laugh."

Ichigo got into a stance before charging him with all the speed he could muster. Admittedly, since becoming a Shinigami, he'd noticed his speed and strength had grown to lengths he'd never imagined before.

Despite this, Ebisu was ready. This wasn't his first time against another Shinigami, after all. "Please, I'm a _Jogami._ I'm not like that fool, _Mizuki_. As if I could be taken down by some Gegam-YOW!" He screamed, as he looked down to his leg, which had promptly been Charlie-horsed by his rogue student. "Young master?! Why did you-OOOFF!"

The last thing he realized, before promptly having his lights turned off, was the hard fist of Kurosaki Ichigo's running into his face.

Lesson number two to Konohamaru: _Surprise Attacks._

* * *

Once more, atop the Hokage's office, the Sandaime looked out towards his village with the same expression as always. "Well, I suppose that's _one_-way to defeat a Jogami…" He paused for a moment in thought. "Hmm. A Shinigami attacking another Shinigami would be considered a criminal offense to the village, punishable by death."

He paused for a moment. "It was a good thing I didn't see anything, then, hmm…"

* * *

"Oh man!" Konohamaru yelled out. "This stinks! I couldn't even beat Ebisu-sensei on my own! At this rate, I'll never be Hokage!" He kicked the ground. "Every time I think I'm getting closer, I keep messing up!" He growled. "Why can't I do it?!"

Ichigo glanced over to the poor boy with his usual scowl. "Hey, don't let this hang over ya." Konohamaru stopped his peeving for a moment to glance up to Ichigo's expression. "I mean, yeah, you didn't beat him, but you're still a kid, you shouldn't be expected to."

Ichigo glanced over to the down Jogami, who hadn't woken up yet from their recent bout. "But he does have a point about one thing. Being Hokage isn't about just being able to fight, it's about a whole bunch of things I couldn't even begin to teach ya." He turned back to Konohamaru, who's eyes were set on him, and looked him in the eye. "There are no short cuts in life. Especially Hokage. But your teacher seems to have a good idea on how to become one. Better than me, that's for sure.

"My admive, train with him for a while. Learn what you can. Prove yourself to those around you. Life's only gonna get tougher, but you gotta push on through. Take the hits, take the sweat and take the tears and keep on going! And when you finally get your own Zanpakutō one day, come and find me." Ichigo brought his fist into his hand and gave a challenging grin to the younger boy. "Then, we'll have our battle to see if you're really up for becoming _Hokage_."

Konohamaru was absolutely fixated on every word Ichigo spoke, before he looked back at his downed sensei for few moments, lost in his thoughts, before glancing back to Ichigo. His eyes hardened. "Alright then, that settles it," for the third time that day, the smaller boy pointed into Ichigo's face, "you won't be my teacher anymore. Instead, from this day on, you're gonna be my rival for the title of Hokage!"

Despite himself, Ichigo smiled, as the wind blew around them. "I look forward to it, Konohamaru."

Ichigo didn't have the heart to tell the boy that being Hokage really wasn't what he wanted to become. But, he'd let him enjoy the moment, while he could.


	3. Kill My Hat

Haruno Sakura was admiring her reflection as she tied her Zanpakutō to her new Shinigami belt. Unlike some of the other students in her year, she felt it necessary to preserve it until the day of team assignments.

She admitted to herself, as she struck a pose to the mirror, that she looked _good_. Every bit the Shinigami she knew she was. Zanpakutō at her side, her natural skill in Kidō at her command and her academic skills had never failed her on a test.

She winked at her reflection. Today was going to be _perfect_.

"Sakura!" As yell came from outside the girl's room. "Isn't it time for you to get going?"

An annoyed expression crossed the yelled-girl's face. "I know! I'm on my way out _now_!" Inwardly, a part of her was seething rather vehemently at the thought of being reminded that she had to leave. She was a Shinigami, for Kami's sake! The idea that she had to be reminded by her _mother_ on what time was right to leave or not was irritating her to the extreme.

Nevertheless, she found herself walking down the streets of Konoha soon after. Anyone who looked her way would acknowledge the bright-white belt around her waist and the sword hanging loosely by it. Of course, the idea that she might have been just a regular swordsmen wasn't an impossible idea, but in a Shinigami village, it was rare, if ever, seen.

It was quickly after leaving her house that she walked along a rather well-flourished flower shop. And who should decide to walk out at the same particular moment, but another of her classmates – an equally young, long-blonde haired female Shinigami, who wore an assortment of purple pieces of clothing alongside her purple-hilted Zanpakutō.

The interaction between the two could best be described in one word:

Tensive.

"Good morning, _Sakura_." The blonde greeted, smiling a smile that almost asked for a _challenge _from the pink-haired girl in front of her, who returned the look back to her peer.

"Hello, _Ino._" The tension seemed to escalate as the two headed in the direction of the academy.

There was definitely some history between the two.

"I have to say, I'm surprised," the blonde – Ino – spoke up as they walked, "I _never_ would have expected they'd let someone like _you_ graduate. I'm a bit surprised."

Sakura didn't show whether it bothered her or not. "Those classes are ancient history." She replied confidently. "We _both_ _graduated_ and we're _both equal_." She turned her head and sent a challenging look at her rival. "I won't lose to you, _anymore._"

* * *

Ichigo, for all intents and purposes, was having a rather nice morning. Except for a case of almost drinking spoiled milk, he had to admit, sitting beside his fellow graduates had a certain appeal to it he never would have felt, had it not been for the actions of one rogue Shinigami.

Funny how things work.

At the moment, the newly appointed Shinigami was lazing back in his usual chair as a familiar student walked up beside him.

"Ichigo? What are you doing here? This isn't for dropouts – you can't be here unless you passed the Shinigami exam." Ichigo opened one of his lazing eyes to glance up to the one talking.

Pineapple hair style, light jacket, lazy expression – Ichigo recognized the voice as belonging to fellow Shinigami graduate, Nara Shikamaru.

He scowled at the boy. "Yeah, I know." He pointed to his back which, despite laying his back to a chair, his Zanpakutō laid comfortably behind him. "And look what I got? A brand new Zanpakutō; passed the graduation exam and everything by Iruka-sensei." He would have pointed to his Shinigami belt, but it kinda came with the rest of his clothing (which he still didn't understand yet, but they were warm, comfortable, and came with the sword).

Shikamaru acknowledged his new attire with a look before shrugging. It wasn't his place to ask questions on how he passed or how he got the his Zanpakutō. Especially for someone who, up until a couple of days ago, had no talent with Reiryoku whatsoever.

Now, from what Shikamaru could see, the stuff was rolling off of him by the bucket loads.

But again, he didn't feel any level of urgency to understand the sudden shift in him. Ichigo passed. That was all there was to it.

Towards the top of the classroom, the doors swung open as Sakura and Ino ran into the classroom in a dead run; panting slightly at their attempt to best one another in getting their academy room before the other.

"I won again, _Forehead_!"

"In your dreams, _Ino-pig_! My toe was a tenth of an inch ahead of yours and you know it!"

The class, for the most part, ignored the two as they argued between who was right, wrong, fat, stupid, and so on. It had become a regular routine for them at some point in the four years the Shinigami initiates had been in the program and no one had the courage or interest to stand up to the two females and their pointless arguing.

They were always arguing over the same thing, anyway.

"Ichigo!" A yell came out from the pink-haired girl, running beside Ichigo and looking at him angrily. "Move your ass! I want to sit on the other side!"

Ichigo glanced over to the girl before looking over to where she wanted to sit. It should have been obvious to him without looking.

Uchiha Sasuke, brooding as always, sat to the left of him.

Now, in any other case, Ichigo might have given his two cents why he didn't want to move and was more than comfortable where he was. But, experience had taught him one thing:

The girls in his class were annoying when it came to Uchiha Sasuke.

"Ah, okay." And with that, he moved his chair slightly and allowed the girl to move past him and beside the rather pensive looking Uchiha. Sakura looked very pleased with herself as she scooted up to his side.

Again, as Shikamaru would tell you himself, it would be too troublesome to go in-between most of the girls in that class and the Shinigami prodigy.

* * *

It was sometime later, after a certain level of animosity occurred between most of the classroom's female Shinigami population over one individual boy who couldn't have cared less, that Iruka appeared to them all, still wrapped up in bandages and looking very happy to see everyone.

"Starting today, you are all real Shinigami of Konoha." Iruka announced to the class, getting a roar of cheering from everyone there. "Today, you will be given more responsibility then any of you have ever had before. But before that, I want to thank you all for the hard work and dedication you've shown me and my fellow instructors these last four years. You've all earned your graduation into the Shinigami world." More cheers from the class and Iruka had to raise his arm up to silence them.

"Now, as you all know, you will all be put into three man squads alongside an assigned Jogami to begin your Shinigami careers for the village." This was all stuff they'd heard before so none of the class was surprised by this.

Some hoped to be put with others; some hoped they wouldn't be put with particular individuals; and a couple wanted to be a one man squad on their own.

"Now, as a fair rule of Shinigami squads, we've chosen to balance the squads strengths and weakness." Again, a common thing done between Shinigami-Gegami squads, but was met with upset cries, regardless.

Iruka ignored them. "Now, for squad one…"

Time passed, with Ichigo listening to the names for his classmates be assigned to particular Jogami he'd never heard of, before the seventh team was brought up.

"Now, for squad seven: Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo acknowledged this with a nod, "Haruno Sakura," the reaction from Sakura irked her neighboring Shinigami squad mate as her head lowered itself to the desk in depression, "and Uchiha Sasuke." And like that, Sakura's mood did a full 180 as she cheered loudly through the class.

As imagined, this just irritated her already irritated teammates further. One was irritated by the noise, and the other was wondering if he was allowed to transfer out of the squad immediately or if there was a wait period he wasn't aware of…

* * *

Shortly after Iruka finished with announcing the squad arrangements, the Jogami instructors arrived to take their individual squads out. One by one, and in less than five minutes, nine of the ten squads had been taken out of the classroom by various instructors.

Now, all that remained was the newly designated 'Team seven', who looked ready to jump out the class window after two hours had come and gone without any word or sound of their instructor.

"Ichigo, sit down. Your pacing is starting to get _annoying_." Sakura muttered, her back to one of the desks as she waited patiently beside Sasuke for their wayward sensei.

"Well, where is he?" Ichigo grumbled, arms crossed as he continued to pace around the classroom. "Why is he so damn late?" Even Iruka, who'd stayed behind to bid farewell to his wards as they left with their Jogami, left a while ago to finish up some papers in other classes.

Sakura sighed. "Do you have any ideas, Sasuke-kun?" In her tired state of mind from waiting so long, even Sakura didn't feel her usual sense of energy to 'fangirl' over her beloved 'Sasuke-kun.'

Sasuke, to his credit, answered her as honestly as he could. "How should I know?" He was still sitting at a desk, pensive as always, wondering himself why his sensei hadn't decided to grace them with his or her presence yet.

Not that he would admit it, though.

"Well, yeah, of course, but-" Sakura turned back to Ichigo. "What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" Ichigo turned back to her. "Nothin." He grabbed a nearby eraser off the chalkboard and walked over to the doorway. Opening it, he reached up and placed the dusty as high as he could at the top of the door.

He smiled triumphantly. Pranks weren't really his thing, but he was starting to get to just that level of stir-crazy that even this juvenile prank seemed like a stroke of genius.

"_Stupid_." Sakura muttered. "That is _so_ childish, even for you, Ichigo." Despite her words, inwardly, Sakura was starting to get excited at this simple prank. Served him right for being late!

Sasuke, on the other hand, shook his head. "Like _that_ would ever work." Their instructor was a trained, skilled Shinigami. As if he'd fall for such a dumb-

Creek…

Poof!

The three Gegami glanced over to door. Looking inward, a tall, light skinned man looked through the doorway as the small eraser landed plainly on his head.

Or, rather, the green and white striped hat.

"Well look what you did," the man stepped into the classroom, pulling off his hat as he looked it over with a bored expression, "I do believe you dirtied my hat."

The three Gegami had mixed reactions as they looked the man over. In fact, initially, the three of them wondered if he was the academy janitor coming to clean the room after everyone would have, supposedly, left with their Jogami instructors.

The man, who was brushing his hat off of chalk dust, looked nothing like the previous Jogami that had walked through the front door. He was, simply, to plainly dressed to take serious, with his messy hair, unshaved chin, a heavy coat, shirt and pants of various shades of dark green and traditional wooden sandals.

Ichigo quirked an eye at the unusual appearance; he certainly didn't look like any of the Shinigami he'd met before. Sakura, while taking in his appearance, whimpered an apology on Ichigo's actions while secretly pleased with the 'direct hit' of the eraser. Sasuke was still thinking he had to be the janitor.

The man – either the janitor or Jogami, none were sure yet – placed his hat back on his head and glanced at the new Shinigami. "So you're the new 'Team Seven,' right?" This time, the man looked each of them over with a relaxed smile. "Well, you guys aren't the weirdest squad I've ever seen."

The kids weren't sure how to take that.

* * *

The Jogami beckoned the three Gegami to the roof of the academy, under the prelude that being indoors on such a beautiful day would be a crime in itself, as the now established Jogami leaned on the rail of the roof, looking over the three Gegami with an almost mocking eye. "Alright, let's begin with introducing yourselves. Your name, your likes, dislikes, dreams, whatever." He pointed to Ichigo. "You with the scowl. You're first."

Ichigo, who had mostly been taking this clown of a Jogami for a grain of salt, glowered at him. "Isn't it usually the sensei's job to introduce himself first?"

Instead of being upset, the hat-man just smiled as he brought out a fan from his pocket and began to fan himself in the heat. "Oh…me?" He seemed to think it over. "Well, my name is Uraharu Kisuke…" He paused. "I have a lot of likes…not really many dislikes…" He paused again. "I don't know much about my dreams…I have a few hobbies…"

If he was trying to give the kids a hard time he didn't show it. He honestly seemed to be giving it some significant thought about what his personality quirks were. All the kids learned was his _name_.

This guy was starting to really grind their individual gears.

The man – Kisuke Urahara – pointed his fan at Ichigo again. "You, on the right, go."

Ichigo raised his hand. "Yo. My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I like beating up idiots." Based on his squad mates, this didn't surprise them at all. "I hate idiots. And I can't really say I have any hobbies or dreams."

If his answer surprised Urahara, he didn't show it. "Alright then," he pointed to Sakura, "pinky. Your turn."

"Oh, uh, alright. Umm, well my name is Haruno Sakura. Umm, my likes are…" She giggled as she glanced to her side. "My hobbies are," she giggled again, "and my _dream_ is," she squealed at whatever she was thinking of.

Urahara just smiled at her responses. "And your dislikes?"

She answered fast enough. "ICHIGO!"

"BITE ME!"

Urahara just laughed as he continued to fan himself. Girls in his day were dedicated to training and less on boys. These days – the days of peace – it seemed more of the opposite now. "Alright alright, calm down, calm down – next!" He pointed to Sasuke, who'd been quite during the entire interaction between them. "Mr. Broody Guy, what's your story?"

Like usual, if the boy was bothered by what was going on around him, he didn't show it. It was a part of his 'cool' charm, as the girls in his class would say. "My name is _Uchiha Sasuke_. I dislike a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. And my dream…I can't really call it a dream. It's more like an _ambition._ I am going to restore my clan," his eyes seemed to turn colder to those around him, "and _kill_ a certain man…"

It was quiet on the roof as the squad took in his words. Urahara didn't look surprised, Ichigo sent a questionable look his teammate's way and Sakura just blushed at his 'cool' attitude.

"Well, alright then. I think I have a good idea about you all." He put hit fan down and placed his hand in his chin. "How about we start tomorrow off with our duties as a Shinigami? How's that sound?"

"That sounds good, Urahara-sensei!" Sakura yelled, glad to finally be getting to work like an actual Shinigami after all those years in the academy. Silently, her two compatriots felt the same, especially after wasting most of their day indoors.

"Good. Glad to hear it. And I know the perfect thing to start out with, just the four of us." He smiled a little wider and brought his fan together with a 'snap' as his eyes turned to the three of them. The three of them, surprisingly, were startled by the sudden look in them. "How does survival training sound to you all?"

Ichigo looked confused. "Survival training?" He asked, warily.

Sakura, similarly, looked confused. "But sensei, we already did survival training back in the academy. We already know how to survive on our own."

Urahara shook his head. "This isn't your run-of-the-mill academy training though. In this exercise, all three of you will have to survive the hardest challenge you've ever faced in your short, miserable lives." Urahara stepped off from the railing and, standing tall, looked down on all three of his 'students.'

"You all are going to have to survive a day of training with _me_."

The three students looked wearily at their sensei. "And why's that so bad, Urahara-sensei?" Sakura didn't think she'd like the answer.

She was right. "What? Don't tell me you don't _know._" Urahara shook his head. "Well, I suppose I should tell ya, anyway. You see, while you all _may_ have passed the exam to graduate from the academy, you haven't officially passed _my_ exam to become full-fledged Shinigami of the village, despite what you've heard."

This was obviously news to them, which only caused Urahara's smile to widen in mock joy. "Every Jogami gives a Gegami squad a test, an exam, a rite of passage, whatever, into the world of the Shinigami – to see if they're ready for the rigorous tasks and responsibilities that come with the belt and Zanpakutō.

"Now, and here comes the real kicker, you should all know that thirty graduates were selected from your class alone, right?" The kids didn't even nod. They didn't like where this was going. "Well, I can guarantee you this: since the academy opened, an estimated only 33% of students from the academy have ever actually passed their first Shinigami-Jogami exam on the first time. The rest were sent back to the academy for re-education." He chuckled. "In other words, my exam has a failure rate of over _66%_!"

None of Team Seven liked the sound of that. Nor the humor that Urahara was getting from it. "I bet you're all wishing I never told you this, huh? Hmhmhm. Well, anyway, tomorrow you have the chance to prove your skills to me and show that you are ready for the world of Shinigami. Just remember to meet at training ground three at seven o'clock and _don't_ be late, 'Team Seven!'" With one last laugh at their expense, Urahara began to make his way towards the stairs to the rooftop.

Then he paused. "Oh, and one more thing," he smiled down to his 'students', each with varying levels of concern on their faces, and said, "I wouldn't recommend eating breakfast if I were you. Because if you do, you'll probably throw up." He waved to them as he walked off.

Sakura, Sasuke and Ichigo did not look as confident coming into the academy as they did leaving it that afternoon.

* * *

The next day came sooner for the Shinigami trainees than they expected as each trudged up to the training ground a good ten minutes ahead of schedule.

None of them seemed particularly happy to be up at that early hour. Partially because sleep had not come easy, each worrying about how to impress Urahara-sensei in their unique ways. Sakura looked over her Kidō notes on various incantations; Sasuke practiced all manner of skills and Ichigo nervously looked over whatever he could find in his small apartment that might have made up for his lack experience with his Zanpakutō, Kidō skill or Hohō skill.

In short, the night before was a nerve wreck for each of them, whether they'd admit it or not.

And now, they waited.

7:00 AM: Urahara still not there. The three Shinigami stood quietly, not willing to talk or disturb one another as they thought over their skills or strategies on how best to take on their Jogami.

7:10 AM: Urahara still hadn't appeared to them. At this point, Ichigo sat down and laid his back to the ground. Sun was barely out, but at least it wasn't bright enough to cause a glare when he closed his eyes. Even Sakura didn't seem to to have the energy to criticize him for his 'laziness.'

7:15 AM: Still no Urahara. Sakura joins Ichigo on the ground. Unlike Ichigo, however, she sat up from her spot on the ground, but got comfortable by her position. Ichigo didn't comment, already fast asleep. Sasuke remained standing.

8:00 AM: No progress on Urahara. Sakura was looking ready to join Ichigo in dreamland. Sasuke was the same as before.

9:00 AM: Nothing new. Sakura passed out. Sasuke just kept watch, but kept glancing back at his two teammates as they slept.

10:07 AM: Sasuke is finally starting to show irritation for waiting. His two companions are still asleep.

And Urahara appeared. "Good morning, everyone!"

Sasuke glanced over to him, while his two sleeping partners woke up. "You're," yawn, "you're late, sensei."

Urahara smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I sorta overslept. Hehe."

Sakura and Ichigo stood up, slowly, stretching out as they remembered what was going on. "So, Sandal-hat," Ichigo adjusted the strap on his back to his Zanpakutō, "what do you have planned for us?"

Urahara smiled. "Nice nickname." He reached into his jacket and pulled out an alarm clock. With a couple of clicks and turns of a nob on the back of it, he calmly walked over to a rock at the corner of the training area and placed it on top.

"Alrighty then, the rules are simple." He pointed to the top of his head. "Your objective of today's survival exercise is to knock my hat off my head and let it either hit the ground or take it from me. Those who don't manage to live up to a certain level of satisfactory by noon," he pointed towards the woods, "will be tied to one of those posts."

Over to the edge of the training yard was a group of three tree stumps; each cleanly cut and looked worn from use. It was anyone's guess how long they'd been there.

"In fact," Urahara continued, "not only will I tie you to one of those posts, but I'll also eat one of the homemade bentos my Ururu-chan made in front of you!" The three students realized it at the same time: he'd made them not eat for the only reason, besides the fact that it made it harder for them, was that he found it funny. "Now, as you can see, there is only one hat. It will be up to _you_ to figure out just _how_ you will manage to knock off said hat yourself, by any means necessary." He paused, and his eyes took a serious edge to them.

"Oh, and those who don't manage to knock off my hat will also fail this exam and be taken _back_ to the academy."

If the kids weren't awake before, they were now. Each looked between the other. Each had the same notion.

It was either them or me.

"Come at me with the intent to _kill_." Urahara's tone wasn't calm or happy anymore. It was cold. Serious. No hint of humor to find. "Use whatever you can think of to end my life. Because I guarantee you," he lifted his arm out towards the trees, "you won't succeed, otherwise."

With a flick of his wrist, a cane popped out from his coat and into his hand. He lifted it into the air and brought it down with a 'smack' to the ground. "Anybody gonna have a problem with what I'm asking?"

If either of them had issues (Sakura forgoing, who seemed unnerved with the task of actually attempting to kill her sensei, before seeing that cold look in his eye and knowing he wasn't joking) they didn't say it aloud.

"Good. Then run and hide, my little Shinigami." He smiled as the clock behind him twitched to 10:10 AM. "Begin!"

* * *

Ten minutes passed as Urahara stepped into the middle of the training field. With his cane in hand, he gazed around the tree lines. "Well, at least they've got hiding down." It wasn't exactly the most important part of a Shinigami. At least not at the stage of training they were in.

Now, if either of them managed or wished to join the Onmitsukidō…

Sasuke hid himself in one of the nearby trees to the right of the Jogami, while Sakura found herself covered by a few bushes to his left.

Ichigo, however…

"Haaaaah!"

Ichigo wasn't very good at hiding.

From the very front, Ichigo ran towards his Urahara, Zanpakutō drawn, and brought it down with a long jump at Urahara's person.

To Urahara's credit, the man just took a step back, avoiding the sword by a hair's breath. "So close!"

"Not done yet!" Ichigo followed from his landing with a couple swipes to the stomach.

"Woohoo!" And like before, Urahara stepped back just out of reach of the boy's sword. Well, if he'd give the boy anything, he had guts to go up against a Jogami. Not many people went head on against someone like Urahara without some sort of plan or trick up their sleeve.

And especially not with a Zanpakutō as weak as _that._

"Shinigami lesson number one: _Hakuda_." Urahara laughed out. "You've got some good moves, Kurosaki-san. For someone who's only had his Zanpakutō for a few days, I'd say I'm a bit surprised." As he continued to step from out of reach of Ichigo's sword with every swing, he cast a glance at the weapon for a moment before pausing in step. "However," he held up his hand, "you're gonna have to do better than _that._"

Clang!

"…_No way_."

* * *

From his position in the trees, Sasuke's eyes widened. While Ichigo had continued his attack on their sensei, he'd carefully watched and considered any opening he might have been able to exploit as he held his attention on Ichigo. But seeing what just occurred, his confidence dwindled.

Sakura wasn't holding up much better.

"_No way_."

* * *

Caught in Urahara's grip was Ichigo's sword. His Zanpakutō had nailed Urahara with everything it had right into his open palm. But by the looks of it, Ichigo's Zanpakutō hadn't even broken the skin. It was just held there, tightly, as if magnetized by Urahara's hand.

"A Zanpakutō is the cry of a Shinigami's soul," Urahara spoke up, "as well as a channel for a Shinigami's Reiryoku. Through it, a Shinigami's power is truly realized. From its size," he tightened his grip on the Zanpakutō, "to its _cutting power_." His grip relaxed and Ichigo took the initiative to wrench the sword away from him and beat a hasty retreat.

Despite himself, Ichigo was surprised and his face showed it. It wasn't every day you saw someone caught a sword as thick as your arm with just their hands (or hand, in this case). Especially when said sword had cut through a Chugami's torso not a couple days before. He'd figured, ignorantly, that a Zanpakutō was like any sword, except for it being wielded by a Shinigami.

He was wrong, however, and he was just starting to realize the lengths and distances between himself and Sandal-hat.

"Of course, I can't really blame you." Urahara continued, pretending to not notice Ichigo's surprise. "An academy student straight out of the academy rarely knows how to properly channel Reiryoku into their Zanpakutō. Even I didn't have a clue on how to do it when I was a new Shinigami. And for someone like you, who's only had his blade for a couple of days, not to mention having zero experience prior in controlling your own Reiryoku, I'd say it would be damn near _impossible_ for your sword to even leave a _scratch_ on me." Uruhara patted his hat to make sure it was still there. "But points for effort. I'd suggest finding someone who actually knows a bit about how to use their Reiryoku before coming at me again-"

Urahara would have said more, had it not been for the fireball that engulfed him not a moment later.

* * *

Ichigo eyes widened as Urahara took a face-full of Shakkahō. The flames of the explosion engulfed his person and left nothing for Ichigo to make out. Covering his face from the flames, Ichigo turned to where the shot came from to see a focused Sasuke in the trees.

He was panting lightly. He'd put some effort into that shot and alongside his already fatigued state from lack of food, the Shakkahō was starting to wear him down.

Ichigo was too stunned to but what he'd just seen to even think about berating the young Uchiha for almost hitting him.

Catching a sword, impressive, but evidently possible. Now, taking on a Shakkahō with that level of power-

"Not bad, not bad!"

Ichigo, Sasuke and the still hiding Sakura's eyes widened.

It wasn't possible. No, no way was that possible!

From the smoke and the stilling heat of the Shakkahō explosion walked out Urahara. Calm, relaxed, and uninjured. Heck, even his clothes, though slightly dirty, were undamaged.

Urahara's smile never seemed to lose his face. He patted his head, checking if his hat was still firmly in place, before brushing off some the soot that had caught onto his clothes. "I must say, I was starting to wonder if Kurosaki-san was the only one with any _bite_ on this team." He said out loud, twirling his cane around in his hand. "Glad to see I'm wrong," his cane stopped spinning and pointed to a part of the woods around him, "_Uchiha-san_." He disappeared into thin air, leaving Ichigo, stunned, in the clearing.

From his hiding spot, Sasuke's eyes widened as he quickly leapt from his spot and made a break for it. He'd been careless. He should have known that it was a trap. No one just randomly starts lecturing someone in the middle of a battle. He'd been careless!

Sakura, for her part, saw the Jogami disappear from sight and knew he was ouch for Uchiha blood. Her instinct kicked in and she made a move to find her Sasuke-kun and fast!

Things were now in motion for the other two members of Team Seven while Ichigo, having not moved from his spot in the clearing, looked over his sword.

If one were to understand anything about Kurosaki Ichigo, one would first have to understand that for the young Kurosaki boy, one would have to understand how the boy felt about his new powers. Up until a few days ago, the boy never understood what power was until a few days ago. He'd been the dead last of his class, and for obvious good reason. When he finally managed to release his Reiryoku control, the first thing he did with his new power was to defeat a Chugami level Shinigami. That was no small task.

In his arrogance, maybe he felt over-powered. Childish though it may have seemed, he was willing to admit that, currently, against Urahara Kisuke, he had no chance of winning. A single Gegami was no match for a Jogami of Kisuke's level.

And that's when it dawned on him. Through the hunger, weariness and his stubborn attitude to jump headlong into the thick of battle, he'd ignored the most common thing to use in a fight. The thing he'd been required to use, more than anything, when he was without Reiryoku or his Zanpakutō and trying to compete with his fellow classmates.

His head.

* * *

Sakura ran swiftly through the woods towards where she assumed her beloved Sasuke would be.

Her mind began to wander as she searched for the dark-haired boy. Thoughts of what might be happening to him without her. He was amazing to her – his skills the top in his class, but Urahara took one of their most trained attacks head on and didn't even _flinch_.

But she assured herself that it wouldn't matter. This was Sasuke-kun, after all. _Uchiha_ Sasuke. There was no way he could be taken down by someone like Urahara Kisuke! Absolutely no-

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Sakura's eyes widened as she hit the ground. She dived behind a bush and looked to where the voice came from.

Looking through a few bushes a few dozen feet away was Urahara, looking rather nonchalant as he did so.

She was in luck. He hadn't seemed to notice her.

"Hey Haruno-san!" Urahara shouted from the bushes ahead of her. "_Look behind you._"

She did.

* * *

A scream could be heard throughout the Konoha training grounds.

Ichigo's head perked up. "Hmm? Sakura?"

* * *

Sakura's eyes took on a glassy look as her mind tried to register what had just occurred. She blinked. "Wha?" She blinked again. "Urahara-sensei?" She looked around herself. She was certain he was around a second ago. He'd been near some bushes…then…

"_Sakura_…"

Her eyes perked up. She knew that voice. "Sasuke-kun!" She turned to where it came from.

She wished she hadn't.

There, kneeling, panting heavily with an arm missing, leg broken and pierced with a myriad of weapons and instruments of torture was her beloved Sasuke.

"_Sakura…help me…_"

The poor girl didn't know what hit her.

* * *

The girl collapsed in the clearing, frothing from the mouth with two streams of tears falling from her eyes.

It looked as if she'd seen death itself (which, considering she was a newly appointed _Shinigami_, was quite humorous).

Urahara watched her with a bemused expression on his face. "Maybe that was a bit _much_."

* * *

From his own part of the forest, Sasuke took in his surroundings. He heard the screaming.

"Sakura…"

"Shinigami lesson number two: _Kidō_. Haruno-san fell for it faster than I expected." Urahara mused to himself, appearing at a nearby tree alongside the Uchiha heir.

Sasuke smiled. Kidō. It was almost ironic. Everyone in class knew Sakura was an expert at the fundamentals of Kidō spells and how to use and counteract them. That she would be taken out by one was, admittedly, funny.

"I'm not like them, however."

"Maybe. But say that only _after_ you've taken my hat, alright?" Urahara was smiling to himself, leaning against a tree with his usual relaxed expression. This might just be interesting.

* * *

Ichigo ran through the forest as fast as his legs would carry him. After the first scream, he'd made a quick run towards where he supposed his only female teammate was in trouble at.

After the second scream, however, he found sprinting to be the more appropriate action to take.

It'd taken him some time to get through, but he finally came across the clearing where he whimpering, frothing teammate had still not recovered from her experience with the Kidō.

"Sakura!" Ichigo shouted, rushing beside her as he knelt down. "Sakura! _Sakura_! Open your eyes." He snapped a few times in her face, hoping to get some reaction.

Apparently, snapping works, as the color to the girl's face returned and the whimpering stopped. She shot upwards. "Sasuke-kun!" She was quickly on her feet. "Sasuke-kun! SASUKE-KUN! WHERE ARE YOU!"

"Sakura calm down!"

"Where's Sasuke-kun?!" She looked ready to begin frothing from the mouth again. Ichigo had to wonder what Urahara had to have done to her to make her act like…_this._

"I don't know." He admitted. "But I think I have an idea on how to beat Sandal-hat-"

"What are you talking about?! We have to find Sasuke-kun!"

Ichigo's eyes started to narrow in annoyance. What was it he said about dislikes the day before? "Yeah, I know," everyone knew, "that's why we should team up and find him. Urahara-sensei is too powerful for anyone of us to beat on our own. I figured we regroup with Sasuke and think of a-"

A loud yell echoed through the woods around them. The both of them recognized who it was by the tone.

"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun! Oh no oh no oh nooooo!" Sakura began to panic again as she took off in the direction of the yelp. All the while, she was muttering, "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun! I'm coming!"

Ichigo was left alone. "…I figured we should regroup and think of a plan to beat Urahara to pass us…" He sighed out of annoyance, not even putting the honorifics on Kisuke's name or even bothering to use his newly appointed nickname.

Some Team Seven they were turning out to be.

Letting out another sigh, Ichigo began to run in the direction of Sasuke's yell.

Neither Sakura nor he noticed the man watching them from behind the tree.

* * *

"Shinigami lesson number three: _Zanjutsu_." Urahara held a Zanpakutō in his hands as sat on the ground, observing it as he smiled to himself. "You definitely have the talent, Uchiha-san. But yet, I think you were getting a little _a-HEAD_ of yourself there, if you don't mind me saying!" He laughed at his own joke.

Sasuke, for his part, was less than amused, but really didn't have much he could do about it. See, when you're body's been dragged up to your neck underground, you find yourself in a rather precarious situation of immovability.

Urahara smiled at the annoyed expression on Sasuke's face, as he sheathed Sasuke's Zanpakutō and placed it beside his head. "I'll just leave you to get yourself out of there, okay?" And with that, he stood up, placed his cane on his shoulder, and walked back towards the tree stumps, whistling as he went.

It wasn't that long after that when Sakura ran into the clearing from the bushes and promptly froze in place at what she saw.

Sasuke looked at her, surprised. "Sakura?"

Then she fainted. Sasuke's eye began to twitch. That was his partner…

Ichigo made his way around the same time as Sakura, as he came up beside the, again, unconscious Sakura and seemingly-decapitated head of Sasuke.

"…" He looked between them both, uncertainly. "Can I…help?" He didn't even know where to begin.

* * *

Sakura's vision began to return to her, as she made out the rough outlines of two figures kneeling over her. The first one to come into view made her heart flutter. "Ah! Sasuke-kun!" She sat up and wrapped her arms around the boy. "You're okay!"

"Ah! Hey, let go of me! Let go! Let go!" She refused to let go.

Ichigo, for his part, was just getting annoyed by the whole interaction, as he grabbed onto the pink-haired girl's dress collar and pulled her away from the irritated Uchiha. "Sakura. Stop. You'll kill him."

The three of them stood up, looking around the clearing for any sign of their sensei. "We're almost out of time." Sasuke announced. Judging by what he figured from the time it took to dig out of the hole and wake Sakura, he wasn't sure if noon was later rather than sooner.

Ichigo looked at him. "Did you get close?"

Sasuke frowned. Urahara was, apparently, not only tough but a Hakuda master, on the side. "He used his finger to beat me." He admitted. Even the same finger to put him in the hole, if you could believe it.

Sakura didn't look hopeful. "There's no way to beat him…" At this rate, she'd be separated from Sasuke-kun. The idea, along with the heat and fatigue, was beginning to make her sweat.

"You know guys, maybe it isn't so bad." She said aloud. "There isn't much time left a-and we _really_ shouldn't push ourselves further, right? I-I mean, there's always next time-"

She stopped when she saw the looks she received from her two teammates. They weren't thrilled about that idea.

She couldn't meet their eyes, ashamed for practically admitting that, despite herself, she was starting to feel absolute _terror_ from the prowess of their sensei.

"I told you guys before," Sasuke spoke up, "there's a man I have to kill. I can't wait any longer to do it…" Sasuke lowered his gaze to the ground and clenched his fists. Even Sakura didn't think this was a part of his 'cool guy' act. He generally felt defeated.

"I am an _avenger._ I have to grow stronger. I can't stay at the academy and wait for things to happen, _anymore._"

Sakura looked stunned at his words, barely registering the weight of them.

Ichigo just stared at the Uchiha with his usual scowl, taking in his words. Unlike back at the academy roof, Sasuke didn't look like the angry, solitary boy Ichigo always figured him to be back at the academy. Now, Sasuke looked rather unsure of himself. Like something was dawning on his person.

What it might have been, however, Ichigo didn't have time to guess on.

"BBRRRIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGG!"

It was noon. The test was over.

* * *

"Well, I am deeply disappointed in all three of you. None of you managed to kill my hat."

The three Shinigami trainees looked equally discouraged from beside the wooden posts. While Ichigo and Sasuke sat down on the grass, Sakura was quietly brooding as she tried to get comfortable in her unusual position of being tied to a wooden post.

Their stomachs growled as Urahara placed two bentos in front of them. "Lunch, as promised. Though I guess I'll have to apologize to Ururu-chan. She put her heart into these and you three won't even be able to enjoy them." He shook his head. "But, I suppose I do have _some_ good news to hand out to you. Ichigo," Ichigo's eyes perked up. That was the first time he used his name, "I'm proud to say you will be the only one to go back to the academy."

Ichigo looked shocked. Sasuke and Sakura looked confused. How was that good news?

"Sasuke, Sakura, you two on the other hand," Urahara's eyes took a familiar cold gleam to it, "should _quit being Shinigami entirely_."

Now it was all three of the Shinigami initiates who looked shocked at his words. Urahara wasn't finished, though. "Sasuke, you struck out entirely on your own to get my hat and didn't even _consider_ asking for help, even after your initial attack _failed._ I can only guess you saw these two as _burdens_ who would get in your way. Sakura," the girl jumped nervously as he looked her way, "when Ichigo wanted to team up with you and Sasuke, you wouldn't listen! I had one of my friend's follow you after I left – you were too focused on _Sasuke-kun_ to even listen to what Ichigo had to offer! Ichigo was the only one who thought about teaming up to take my hat, even after he'd been beaten and saw how hopeless it was to go at me _alone_."

Urahara shook his head at them.

"Did either of you even wonder for a second _why_ you are put into teams to begin with? The concept of this exam was so simple; it should have been obvious from the start!"

"B-but sensei! You said to pass, we had to get your hat, and there's only one!" Sakura pointed out, struggling in her binds. The tension wasn't helping her comfort levels.

He looked into her eyes. "And?"

"Huh?"

"Did I ever say that you had to do it alone? Or for that matter, if you by some chance managed to get my hat, did I say _you_ would be the only one to pass?" He paused to let them take in his words. "I said to get my hat by_ any means necessary_. This test was to see if you could all put your skills together and work as a team to complete an assignment. If you had, _maybe_ you would have managed to knock off my hat. Instead, you only thought about yourselves and how _you_ could pass the exam.

"As it stands, I have seen _nothing_ from _either of you_ that tells me you're ready to be _Shinigami_!"

Sasuke had heard enough. He jumped up, pulling at his Zanpakutō and rushed Urahara as fast as he Shunpo would take him.

He was pressed to the ground before he could even register he'd been taken out.

"Are you underestimating Shinigami? Huh? Even after all that I showed you?" Urahara's voice was eerily calm as he pressed Sasuke's head further into the dirt. "_This_ is an excellent example of _why_ Shinigami squads are built on the foundation of _teamwork._" He looked over to Ichigo and Sakura. "Ichigo, an ultimatum: kill Sakura or Sasuke dies."

"WHA?!" Sakura yelled, as she looked between her sensei and Ichigo, who looked just as perplexed by the demand as she was.

Urahara got the desired effect he wanted. "See? _This_ is what can happen on an assignment if teams _don't_ work together. This is why Shinigami teams are comprised of three man teams: so you can work off of one another's skills!" With his cane hand, he tapped his hat with the edge. "As it stands, you both completely missed the point of this test."

Sakura was beginning to look anxious, both at her situation and with how Sasuke was dealing with having his face planted into the ground. "And, what was the point of this test?"

Uruhara shook his head. "Geez." He looked up. "Ichigo, if you would?"

Sakura looked down at the disappointed scowl on Ichigo's face as he glanced up to her confused expression.

"_Teamwork._"

Sakura and Sasuke's expression, despite one of them being pushed to the ground, was one of complete surprise. The obviousness of it…

"W-wait a second, sensei! What do you mean by teamwork?" She was really starting to hate being tied up. "I remember what you said! You made it seem like only one of us would pass! You wanted us to fight against each other, didn't you?"

Uruhara just looked at her, expressionless. "Of course I did! I was the enemy in this test! The test itself is _meant_ to set you against one another in the first place!" This hadn't been the answer Sakura was expecting. "The purpose was to see if you could forget your own personal interests and work together to achieve a common goal under these circumstances. Whether you succeeded or not was, to the test, _irrelevant_."

He let the information process for them. Ichigo, despite having come up with the idea to work together, hadn't suspected that was the entire point of the exam. He was, slightly, proud that he'd come up with the idea to team up. But, as it looked now, it would seem rather unimportant back at the academy.

Sakura looked ashamed. Alongside Kidō, she always prided herself in her brains and knowledge of what it meant to be a Shinigami. Now, though, she felt as inexperienced a Shinigami as her first day at the academy.

Sasuke remained silent from his place, even as Urahara looked over the three of them and stood up off the dark-haired boy. The Uchiha, despite the circumstances, looked like his pride was more wounded then his body. Urahara didn't seem to notice. "Look over there." He pointed ahead of them.

The three of them looked past their sensei to a large structure, about nine feet tall and wide, with various lines of letters on it. Urahara stepped away from the three and walked towards it. "Written here are the names of the greatest heroes our village has ever seen." He muttered his tone distinctly different from how it was earlier.

Not as cold. Not as friendly. Not as humorous. To the three students, the best word to describe his tone was 'solemn.' It didn't seem to work for him.

"Every man, woman or child on this list gave their lives for this village." He spoke again after a moment. "They are honored here so that we might remember their sacrifice and hope that we might become as good of Shinigami as they were. This is a memorial stone dedicated to some of the closest friends I've ever had. Their names are engraved here."

Urahara paused again, looking over the names. He passed a few he knew, said a silent prayer, and turned back to his wards. They were watching him intently, digesting his words. "Alright, I've decided." He walked over to them again. "I'm going to give each of you _one_ more chance to prove to me you're ready to become Shinigami." He pointed out his cane to them. "Ichigo, Sasuke – you both can eat your bentos. Sakura, _you_ may not. You're poor actions today will cost you." She looked about ready to protest but a grumble from her stomach told her not to waste the energy.

"You two are not permitted to give her _any_ of your food. She failed to impress me so she will be made an example of what happens to those who don't live up to my expectations." His eyes narrowed. "In other words, you feed her even a grain of rice and I will fail you _both_. Got it?" The boys nodded. "Good. I'll give you an hour to prepare. I will then give you three hours to test me again." He waved to them as he walked away. "Good luck!"

* * *

The boys took to their lunches as Urahara disappeared from their sites past the tree lines. The two looked between one another before glancing back to their meals.

Sakura looked down at the boys from the position of her post. She groaned silently alongside her stomach. This was a nightmare, she thought silently. An impossible, horrible nightmare.

The boys continued to dabble into their food for a minute or so after Urahara disappeared around the corner.

"Do you see him?" Ichigo whispered, looking as if he were playing with his food as his eyes dabbled around the training field. Sakura looked at him.

"Hmm." Sasuke hummed, getting Sakura's attention. "I don't see him from where I'm at." He admitted. "You got anything?"

"Nah, nothin'." Ichigo admitted, glancing once more over the area. He threw a last piece of rice in his mouth before taking another chopstick full and moved beside Sakura's stump. He held up his sticks to her. "Quick, eat."

Sakura blinked. "Wha?"

"Before he gets back. _Eat_."

Sakura looked between the orange-haired boy and his chopsticks. She could feel her mouth start to water over the seasoned rice. "No! Are you nuts?! You'll fail us before we even start!"

"It won't matter if we fail if you aren't strong enough to stay with us." Sasuke muttered, as he picked up a bit of egg from his own bento and offered it up to her. "Urahara's gone. It's best we get that hat as a team, rather than as an individual." He held his chopsticks closer to Sakura's face. "C'mon. Eat. This is embarrassing enough as it is."

"You're telling me."

Sakura looked between the boys and their offered chopsticks. If the situation was a little more glamorous, she might have felt like a princess, being offered food like this. Instead, she felt a few tears in her eyes as the smells of the food filled her nostrils pleasantly.

"_You guys_." She whimpered happily, offering a smile to them both as she reached out and grabbed their chopsticks in one bite. A look of absolute delight took over her. "Delicious!"

From his place behind one of the thicker trees of the forest, Urahara smiled.

"Well done, Team Seven. Well done."

* * *

"**WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING**?!" Came a roar in front of the Shinigami hopefuls, as the wind picked up, the clouds turned black, and Urahara Kisuke appeared before them, standing with an expression of utter fury on his face.

Sakura screamed as the boys stood up, ready for a fight, if need be.

Urahara still glowered at the three of them. "**YOU FED HARUNO SAKURA! EVEN AFTER I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU NOT TO**!"

Lightning began to collect above as leaves rushed around the air with the quickly rising winds. It was all very terrifying and Urahara had a grin that was less than friendly.

"**Do you know what I have to say to people like you**?"

Sakura was panicking vehemently as the two boys reached for their Zanpakutō.

Urahara gave a hard look at the two boys as they reached for their weapons.

"**YOU GUYS-**"

The noise and the clashing of thunder roared overhead. The boys grabbed a firm hold on their weapons as Sakura stood still to watch their impending doom.

"Pass."

…Well, their 'impending doom' might have been stretching it a bit.

The thunder, the wind and the noise came to a halt in the training ground. The three Shinigami wanna-bes looked at Urahara with a mix of surprise, uncertainty and cautiousness.

It was Sakura who found her voice first. "Huh?"

Urahara smiled. "You. All. Pass."

They all still seemed on edge. "What do you mean? How did we pass?"

Urahara just smiled some more. "You're the first three to ever succeed in passing my test." He brought his cane down with a 'thud', and the dark clouds began to disperse back to wherever they had been previously. "You're the only squad who disobeyed me and decided to feed their comrade. All the others I've taken on failed to do even that much. They followed my orders to the letter – never once thinking for themselves." Urahara stepped up to the wooden pole and tapped it with his cane. Immediately, the ropes holding Sakura went slack.

"While I know following the rules is good and all (and believe me, Hokage-sama would be _pretty mad_ to hear me say otherwise), it's in my belief that, while those who break the rules are trash, those who abandon their friends," Kisuke smiled as he took off his green and white striped hat and placed it on top of the astonished Sakura's head, "are _worse than trash_." Urahara stepped back and gave the three newly-instated Shinigami thumbs up.

"Starting today, you will be the new Team Seven of Konoha! Well done, everyone!"

* * *

The time after was a mix of cheering, excitement and congratulations. The team would officially start their first exam and training routine the next day and for the rest of the evening, they should let it just be about themselves and what they accomplished to get to this point in their lives.

Ichigo, as he walked down the road late that night, had to admit, Sandal-hat was kinda cool.

At this point at night, however, Ichigo found himself walking quietly through the streets, nothing but the moon to light his way, as he made his way into a familiar cemetery. Making his way through a number of graves, he walked over to a cracked vase that lied standing up beside one of the graves.

He picked up the cracked vase with one hand and placed another, fully-watered and with fresh flowers, beside the grave to replace it.

"Sorry it took me so long." He said aloud. "It's been a busy few days for me. But, like I promised, a brand new vase, just for you."

"_Hehe, it's alright. I thank you. It really means a lot to not have been forgotten._"

"Don't mention it." Ichigo replied with a smile. "I'll come by to see the others when I get the chance. With Shinigami duties coming up, I don't know when I'll be able to come by as soon as I used to." He glanced over the graves around him. "You sure you and the others will be alright without me for a while?"

"_Uh-huh! I'm sure. Those kids haven't come back since you beat them up last time. I'm sure we'll be fine for a while._"

Ichigo nodded. "Glad to hear it. Well, I'll see you all later. Take care of yourself!" Ichigo turned and made his way out of the cemetery and back on to the streets, caring the broken vase as he went.

And the girl – the one no one else could see – quietly waved goodbye.


	4. Tazuna

"_Sasuke. I'm at Point B."_

"_Sakura here. Touched down at Point C."_

"_Ichigo. Point A."_

"_Okay you guys, **go slow**. Remember, we need the target **alive**. So don't get carried away Ichigo**-**"_

"_What? Why are telling **me** that?"_

"_Because last time-"_

"_He had it coming! Besides, I'm getting tired of finding this thing every time-!"_

"_It's a mission, baka. We don't have a choice."_

"_Sakura-chan, use nice words."_

"_This is so **stupid**!"_

"_Tell me about it."_

_"Hear that Sakura? Even **Sasuke** agrees with me!"_

_"Shut up! Even if Sasuke-kun thinks the mission's stupid, that doesn't mean you're right about the mission being stupid, baka!"_

_"What?! That doesn't even make any sense!"_

A groan was heard over the line. _"I feel we may have to work on our team collaboration again…anyway, Team Seven-huh?"_ There was a pause. _"Team Seven! Target is on the move! I repeat; target is on the **move**!"_

Team Seven took the signal and began to rush towards a rustling bush. They all stared at it, watching for any sign of action or movement, all three too nervous to move from their spots.

"_Any sign of the target?"_ They heard over their headphones.

"Target located, sensei." Sasuke spoke up, placing his hand to his ear to relay the message. "Five yards north. Bushes."

"We got a fix on him, sensei." Sakura added, growing tense as the three of them waited for the go ahead.

Ichigo, unlike his two partners, looked notably more annoyed then alert. "I don't see why we can't use a spell or some incantation on it."

"_And I've told you before; the target has shown an unusual aptitude for avoiding previous squad's attempts at Kidō or such. We'll have to take him by **force**."_

Ichigo groaned. "This is so _lame._"

"Just deal with it, Ichigo. Sooner we end this, the better." Sakura whispered to him, as Sasuke kept his focus on their target.

"Sasuke, ready for the signal."

Sakura nodded, as well. "Sakura, ready when you are."

Ichigo, still looking annoyed, just grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ready."

"_Alright then…"_ He paused. _"Engage!"_

The three ran for the bush. Their target never knew what hit it, as a pair of arms wrapped itself around its underbelly and held on tight.

"You're not getting away this time!" Ichigo yelled, as his target screeched and yelped as it attempted to turn around and scratch the Gegami's eyes out.

Its attempts were futile. This wasn't the first time Ichigo had caught him and it was, most likely, not going to be the last, either.

"_Good work, team."_ Urahara Kisuke spoke from his end of the radio, smiling as he fanned himself through the heat. _"Can you verify the red ribbon on his right ear?"_

Sasuke looked over to the struggling Ichigo, who was now using his legs to wrap around the target's – a brown-furred cat's – body a little tighter. "Confirmed. We have positive ID."

"_Ah ha! Excellent! Mission: Lost Pet Tora, captured! Mission accomplished."_

"God dammit! I hate cats!"

* * *

"Ooooohhh! My poor little Tora! Mommy was so worried about you! Yes she was! Yes she was!" A rather 'voluptuous' woman cried out within the mission report room of the Hokage's office, as she hugged the now captured 'Tora the Cat' like its life depended on it.

The cat, however, looked to be almost crying in that woman's arms. And not out of joy, to be certain.

This woman, incredibly enough, was the wife of Hi no Kuni's own Daimyo. It was rather astonishing to have someone as important as her walk around the office building, considering who her spouse was. When Team Seven had, initially, heard that they were being hired by the wife of their very own Daimyo, you could imagine their initial surprise.

That surprise was diminished soon after when they received their D-rank assignment.

As the wife of the Daimyo, Madame Shijimi (quite the name, to be sure), enjoyed the renewed company of her precious Tora, Team Seven looked on from the side with mixed reactions.

Ichigo looked half-crazed as he enjoyed the cat's suffering. "Serves him right, the stupid cat." Sasuke just watched without much thought, while Sakura was beginning to understand why the cat was running away so much.

Urahara, deciding that enjoying the suffering of a cat for so long was not healthy for himself or his team, stepped up to the Hokage's desk and saluted. "Team Seven reporting in for another assignment, Hokage-sama!"

From his spot at the mission assignment desk, the Sandaime Hokage looked over at one of his top Jogami with irritation. "Urahara Kisuke, what have I told you about proper Jogami attire while on active duty?" The Hokage sent a rather stern gaze at the green-clothed man, who seemed rather unperturbed at the reaction. Beside the Hokage, Umino Iruka, looking better than he had a month ago since his attack by the traitor Mizuki, worked to fill out the mission form on the missing cat Tora, actively ignoring the conversation between Urahara-san and the Hokage-sama. He, along with many of his peers, had heard it many times before.

"Rule number 12 of the Shinigami of Konohagakure's rule book," Urahara's tone was rather nonchalant for being in the presence of the Hokage, "for all Chugami ranked Shinigami and higher, while on active duty, proper Shinigami attire should be worn at all times."

"And what do you call what you are wearing now?"

"My proper Shinigami attire!"

"It most certainly is not!" The elderly man roared as he looked over to his Jogami with no small hint of irritation. At this point, he'd lost track of how many times they'd had this argument.

Urahara waved neutrally. "Okay okay! I promise to put it on later!"

He'd lost track of how many times Urahara had promised to do that, in those exact words.

Annoyed, but feeling that putting on a bad face of authority in front of the wife of the Daimyo would not be appropriate; the Hokage sat himself down and looked over the mission assignments in front of him. "Very well, then. For Team Seven, let's see…babysitting…potato digging…there's a woman who needs help with her groceries on account of a broken leg-"

"NO!" Ichigo yelled, interrupting the senior Shinigami. "No way! Not another one of these lame jobs any academy student could do!"

To be fair, out of the last five missions Team Seven had taken on, they were assignments any ten year old with a level of common sense could take on (seriously, he personally wondered why people would take the time to even assign those types of missions to a group of Shinigami? Did a 'Soul Reaper', which was the literal translation of Shinigami, look like he or she would want to do your shopping or babysit some kid?).

Beside him, his teammates, like usual, had mixed reactions: Sasuke agreed, Sakura was annoyed, and Urahara just smiled, having expected such an uproar by now.

"Ichigo!" Iruka, on the other hand. "You are only a rookie, straight out of the academy! Everyone, including your fellow Gegami teams, work similar tasks every day to work themselves up to the next level!"

"Like I care!" Ichigo yelled back. "Does it look like I want to catch that stupid cat again?!" He pointed to Madame Shijimi, who seemed blissfully unaware of his rant, as she continued to snuggle into her suffering cat.

The Hokage sighed. He felt an explanation was in order. "Kurosaki Ichigo. As you know, all missions are divided by level of difficulty so that they can be accurately distributed to individuals pertaining to a certain level of skill.

"These missions are divided by a ranking of D, the easiest of mission types, to A, the most difficult. We receive requests from all parties, within and outside of the village, and from these requests; the clients will pay the village for the success of these missions. Since you are all just _new Gegami_, you are given D-rank missions to test yourselves out and adapt you to the workforce of becoming a higher ranking Shinigami." The Hokage breathed in to settle himself. He hated explaining things that should have already been known to individuals, especially Shinigami.

Then he noticed that the entirety of Team Seven was more focused on what Ichigo was discussing rather than himself. "So, there was this guy who pushed over this kid the other day for accidentally running into him and spilling his drink, so I stepped on his face and-"

"PAY ATTENTION YOU YOUNGSTERS!" The Hokage yelled, as the attention of Team Seven, sheepishly, returned to the old Shinigami.

Urahara, laughing, had the courtesy to look a little embarrassed on behalf of his team. "Ah, sorry 'bout that."

Ichigo, however, was not put off by the yell. "Geez, relax. We're ready for higher mission than this. You know it." He narrowed his eyes, his scowl deepening. "I'm not the same guy who just beat people up for no reason. I'm a Shinigami. I can do more than chase some stupid cat!"

Urahara looked down at his student, who looked awfully confident in himself, as the Iruka looked as his previous ward with a slight smile.

The Hokage, despite himself, looked slightly amused, as well. "Very well then." He said after a moment of hesitation. "If you want something more challenging," he pulled aside his green D-rank roster of missions and pulled out a blue scroll with a large 'C' on it, "then perhaps a C-rank mission would be up your alley. A protection mission in a foreign country – how's that sound?"

Team Seven looked somewhat shocked at the Hokage's words, as Ichigo blinked in response. "Uh, sounds great, Yama-jii." The orange-haired boy was, alongside his teammates, surprised that his grumbling actually got him somewhere.

It wasn't like him to do such a thing, normally, but he knew if he had to go searching for that cat one more time...

Urahara stepped forward. "So, who's the lucky someone we'll be protecting, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage looked over to the side of the room. "Send him in."

Team Seven looked to the back of the office, as the door creaked open. Before they even saw the man, the stench of alcohol hit them hard.

Walking into the room, a disheveled, slightly overweight old man, with a beer bottle hanging from his hands, made his presence known.

He looked over to the squad and frowned. "What is this? These guys look like a bunch super-stupid lookin' brats." He slurred, holding onto the railing of the door. "Especially," he pointed a wobbly finger to Ichigo, "the orange one. What happened, you lose a bet? Huh?!"

Ichigo stared at him. "Hey, Sandal-hat," he pointed to the old man, "would it be a bad thing to hurt the client?"

"Hmmm…probably."

"Crap."

The old man took a long swig of his drink before pointing a large thumb at himself. "I am the _super_ expert bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me _super_ protection until I get back to my country and finish my _bridge._" He took a drink. "That clear?"

* * *

Walking out of the gates of Konoha, with backpacks full of necessary supplies, Team Seven took a good long look outwards. For Ichigo, who'd never walked out of the village before, this was a very unique experience. "Huh. So trees _are_ green outside of the village."

The bridge builder – Tazuna – looked at Ichigo. "He's joking, right?" He asked Urahara, who just smiled back. "You're sure I'll be safe with you guys?" One was pink-haired, one was brooding, one was already threatening to hurt him and the last was Urahara (enough said).

"Ah! No worries, Tazuna-san! I'm a _super_ Shinigami, after all!" Urahara smiled as he started to walk ahead of the unorthodox group. Tazuna felt both mocked and unsure if he was safe with these guys.

He took a drink of his beer. Confidence restored.

"Well, ignoring orangey here, I guess it's not _all_ bad."

Ichigo heard him. "_Orangey huh_?"

Urahara, before Ichigo decided to leap at the bridge builder, held onto the back of his kimono. "Ichigo, no killing the client."

"You'd be surprised what you can _live through_!" He began to struggle from his sensei's grip, as Tazuna just took another long gulp of beer. Sakura and Sasuke realized that this would be a _long_ mission.

Unknown to them all, hidden within the trees, a lone figure watched them leave the village.

* * *

As they walked along the road, the three Gegami had taken point while Urahara stayed beside Tazuna to watch the rear.

Despite being on assignment, the three Gegami seemed rather relaxed as they walked. Sakura had inquired earlier on the works of Shinigami villages and why Tazuna hadn't asked into his own Shinigami for assistance on the bridge. Urahara, in a rare show of intelligence and sensei-like attitude, explained to the three of them why Tazuna's homeland, Nami no Kuni, or the Land of Waves, was not occupied with a Shinigami headquarters, as the sea gave them a natural level of defense against foreign forces.

He explained the hidden villages of Shinigami and how, despite the fact that there may be five main ones in the world, also known as the 'Five Great Shinigami Villages,' there were, in fact, smaller villages that occupied the continent that used Shinigami, themselves, though to a lower count.

Hi no Kuni, or the Land of Fire, – or more specifically, the village of Konoha – was the closest village with Shinigami to Nami no Kuni. Thus why Tazuna had chosen them for their services.

While going over the details of the Shinigami village, Urahara assured them, despite initial fears, an attack by another Shinigami was _highly_ unlikely on a C-rank, such as this. Sakura was relieved, despite herself, while Ichigo and Sasuke just took it in stride.

Tazuna, however…

The five of them walked quietly for a time after that, the conversation no doubt passifying the mood of the group, as they passed a small puddle in the road.

Walking past it, Ichigo glanced at it for a moment before continuing to walk. He slowed his pace, however, and walked beside Urahara in the back.

"Urahara-"

"I know." Urahara's tone was serious. Ichigo knew that he was right then. Urahara never used that tone otherwise. "Just keep walking. Don't spook the others."

Despite his nervousness, Ichigo nodded. "Right." He ran back beside his teammates, neither noticing his short absence.

As the five walked ahead, the puddle began to ripple as a figure smoothly emerged small puddle. He was covered in a dark-black cloak with a breathing respirator over his mouth. Slowly, he raised his arm up from his cloak, a tantō in his fingers.

"_Bear my face and join my ambition_," the figure whispered in a hoarse voice, as his sword began to glow, "**Oni-Kyōdai**!"

Where his sword was, a metal gauntlet, complete with a wicked design of claws, took its place on his hand. He brought his hand back into a fist. "Go!" He threw his gloved hand forward and, seemingly out of nowhere, a bodily double of himself shot forward towards the team, his left hand connected to the original by a similar looking gauntlet on his left arm with a spiked chain.

The team stopped at the shout, as they turned around to the source of the noise. Urahara, however, didn't seem to have realized that he was under attack. Before he could so much as blink, he found himself caught, wrapped in the enemies spiked chain, from leg to neck in a second, flat.

The two assassins spoke together. "One down."

They pulled their chain, and all that could be seen was Urahara's torn and mangled body, various pieces flying around the road before the Gegami's very eyes.

* * *

"Eh-AHHHHHHH!" Sakura screamed.

"Sandal-hat!" Ichigo yelled as he reached for his Zanpakutō. Before he could even fully register that they were under attack, however, the figures disappeared from his line of sight.

"_Two down_." He heard a whisper in his ear. He turned his head. In the span of a second, the two figures had managed to appear behind him.

Ichigo recognized the move from his days at the academy. Shunpo, or the 'Flash Step', as it is popularly known as by civilian populace. The ability of a Shinigami to appear somewhere else faster than a normal human's eyes could keep up with.

This wasn't the first time Ichigo had seen something like this before. But before, he'd only seen it from instructors and Urahara. _Never_ from someone who wanted to _kill him_.

That thought alone made the instinctual swing of his Zanpakutō all the more powerful.

Ichigo performed a wide swing with his Zanpakutō, taking his sword from its sheath and twisting his body so quickly, the attack could best be described as 'wild' or even panicked. The assassins brought up their gauntlets to guard from the attack, the sword scraping against them as Ichigo swung.

But then the swing ended and Ichigo was unbalanced. The assassins took the chance and lunged.

Ichigo saw the clawed hand coming. "Oh, shit-!"

But before the claws could reach him, there was a dull 'thud', and the assassins were suddenly stopped in place.

"What?!" The first one yelled, tugging on his Zanpakutō'd hand. He glanced around as he saw the very chain that connected himself to his Zanpakutō was shown to be stuck to the tree behind them, a katana-like sword thrown firmly in between the chain, stopping their movements, no matter how they struggled.

From the sky, a familiar prodigy landed on top of the two assassin's gloves. It almost seemed unbelievable, as Sasuke grasped a firm hold over both arms, reared his legs back and donkey-kicked both assassin's in their respective faces. Ichigo, stunned by what he was seeing, barely registered the situation as he brought his swung sword back to him and leapt back.

The assassins, ever vigilant, followed the movements around them. Sacrificing the chain connecting them, the assassins separated from one another. One went after the equally stunned Sakura and Tazuna-

The other went after Ichigo.

Sakura's face spoke volumes of her level of preparedness for this situation. Stunned and looking ready to have a heart attack, she hadn't even considered reaching for her own Zanpakutō and readying herself for the oncoming attack.

At the last second, however, she surprised herself.

"Tazuna! Get behind me!" With a quick grab at her sword, she stepped in front of Tazuna. But the assassin, having already aimed for the aged bridge builder, didn't even need to change his direction of attack as his clawed arm soared towards the two.

Sasuke saw this and, with an impressive speed, stepped between the cloaked Shinigami and his original targets. Sasuke, not even having time to retrieve his Zanpakutō, looked ready to take the attack with gritted teeth.

But then, the clawed gauntlet stopped, as a rough arm wrapped itself around the assassin's neck and tugged hard, knocking him out and stopping him in his tracks before he hit any of his intended targets.

"Yo." The owner of the arm gave a wave with his free hand. "Sorry I'm late."

* * *

There was a pause from the three saved, before Sakura's eyes widened. "Urahara-sensei?! You're alive!"

True to her words, Urahara, looking as if he'd walked out of a day spa, held the unconscious Shinigami assassin under his arm. He just smiled down to his two students. "Nice work Sasuke. You _almost_ had him."

Sasuke looked annoyed. "_Show off_."

Urahara just continued to grin. "Nice work everyone. You all did splendidly as a team." He turned around and looked over to the last of his students. "Though, Ichigo, you _may_ have been playing it a little close to the chest, there."

Sakura blinked as she glanced past her sensei and the unconscious assassin. Her eyes widened. "Ichigo!"

Across the road, Ichigo stood, stone stiff, with the assassin standing before him. From there place, they noticed Ichigo's Zanpakutō cutting roughly into the assassin's shoulders, with the assassin's own clawed gauntlet ripping into the boy's right arm. There was blood on those claws.

However, as a result, with a deep gash in his shoulder, the assassin fell over with a crash, his body unmoving on the ground for a brief moment before slowly disappearing in a wisp of mist into the air.

Urahara glanced down to the assassin in his arms and noticed the man's gauntlet slowly fade away from his hand and turn into a short tantō, still held loosely, despite unconsciousness.

Ichigo stood back from his position, wobbling slightly, as he stared down to where the assassin had been. He paused for a moment, before raising his Zanpakutō up and resting it onto his shoulders.

"Hey, Sandal-hat," he didn't sound happy, "what the _hell was that_?!" Ichigo yelled, as Urahara looked taken aback from his tone. "You were shredded there, what the hell?!"

Urahara's face lit up. "Oh! That!" He laughed, as he took his free hand and reached into his coat pocket. He pulled a dark blue ball out, looked it over, then placed it to his mouth.

His team blinked as the black ball began to expand into a larger black ball, with their sensei looking like he was blowing up a balloon of some sort, before a loud 'pop!' was heard from it.

There, being held in his hand, was a perfect replica of Urahara. "Ta da! I give you the 'Inflatable Gigai'!" He waved the dummy in his hand excitedly. "Isn't it amazing? A perfect copy of myself, right down to the hairs on his _chin_." He sniffed a little, before smiling proudly. "Isn't he wonderful?"

Ichigo, Sakura, Tazuna, and even Sasuke looked dumbfounded by what they were seeing. "So, the you over there," Sakura pointed over to where 'Urahara' had been cut up by the assassins, "wasn't really you?"

"Nope!" He said brightly, as he pinched the Urahara copy by its cheek, the copy returning back into a small black ball. "Just a dummy. An incredibly handsome dummy, to be sure, but just a dummy. He just popped into a few dozen pieces of Gigai parts but aside from that," he placed the ball back into his coat, "I'm as healthy as can be!"

The group was quiet. "Well that's great and all. But I got a question." Ichigo raised his bleeding into arm. "You couldn't have popped up sooner?!"

"Oh my!" Urahara mocked surprise. "My bad! I was sure you had him in the shoulder there! But, looks like you came out with a few scratches, it seems." He looked down at the unconscious assassin. "Let me take care of this guy here first and then I'll look you over. Make sure it isn't worse then it looks." He walked past the group and towards a tree before looking over his shoulder. "I have to say though; Ichigo, Sasuke, Sakura, you didn't do half bad out there, for your first times." With that, he walked into the woods and out of sight.

Sakura, despite still being caught in the shock of the attack, looked pleased at the praise. Sasuke took it in stride and Ichigo just grumbled about the 'mad Sandal-hat' as he looked over his arm.

* * *

Tazuna and the Gegami stood quietly as their sensei returned to them sometime after walking into the woods with the assassin. He was, notably, without the assassin as he walked out. "Ichigo, come here for a second." Urahara's tone was serious. Ichigo walked over without issue or complaint.

Rolling up his kimono's sleeve, Urahara looked over Ichigo's wound. "This might sting a bit."

"Huh-AHH!" Ichigo cried, as Urahara whipped out his cane and stabbed it into his open wound, small bit of light escaping the wound. Ichigo screamed, his shoulder burning, as Urahara held him tightly around the arm.

"Just a few more seconds. Hold in there." Ichigo grit his teeth through the pain as, after a few seconds, Urahara removed his cane from the open wound and smiled at his handiwork. "There you go! Good as new!" He released the boy's arm, as Ichigo fell to his knees, holding his arm.

"**_You bastard_**-!"

"Ah ah ah! Now is that anyway to talk to someone who burned the poison out of your wound?" Urahara asked, as he waved his cane in his arm. Ichigo held onto his arm, glaring. "Those assassins, or rather, assassin, had a poison laced Zanpakutō. And like any poison, it could have been _very_ dangerous if left unchecked." He shook his finger into the boy's face. "You should be thanking me. I might have just saved your life."

Ichigo held onto his arm as the burning began to dim quickly. "Could have warned me."

"I know. Sakura!" He yelled to one of his Gegami, who up to that point, had been watching, stunned, at Ichigo's suffering and Urahara's unorthodox methods. "Could you wrap Ichigo's shoulder for me? I don't think he trusts me at the moment." Sakura nodded, inwardly agreeing with Ichigo on the 'not-trusting-Urahara' feeling, as she went beside Ichigo and pulled out a bandage from his pack.

Urahara, meanwhile, turned to Tazuna and Sasuke, the latter of whom was guarding the road for any additional danger with his once again retrieved Zanpakutō.

Tazuna, who was looking rather nervous for himself, glanced up to Urahara as he approached them. "Tazuna-san."

Tazuna jumped at the tone. "W-what is it?" Sasuke glanced at them both. He knew that tone from Urahara.

"I got a question. Now, the guy back there," he pointed a thumb towards the woods, "he wasn't talking. But, at this point, I've figured on a few things from watching you and them. For one, those that guy was Chugami from _Kirigakure_." He paused for a moment for his words to set in. "Chugami from Kiri are _famous_ for fighting to the death, no matter the cost."

"Sound like a rough bunch." Sakura mumbled, as she wrapped the bandage around Ichigo's arm tightly. Ichigo just scowled through it.

"Without a doubt," Urahara replied, hearing Sakura's mumbles, "but that one made a silly mistake! See, a puddle in the road back there, nothing to fancy. _But_ a puddle in the middle of the road, when it hasn't rained in days means-"

"Potential ambush." Sasuke spoke up, eyes widening as it just occurred to him, while internally scolding himself for missing something like that. Urahara smiled.

"Our opponents, or, rather, _opponent_ didn't know the weather of their environment. His fatal flaw. I could have taken him out the moment I saw the puddle, but I had to clear a few things up before I could do so." Ichigo's eyes narrowed, having wondered why Sandal-hat had, apparently, let himself be caught by the assassins he'd supposedly known about, as Urahara's gaze met Tazuna's.

His eyes bored into him. "Tazuna-san. Why were these Shinigami after you?"

Tazuna tried to play it coolly. "What do you mean?"

"Meaning, our mission was to simply protect you from _thieves_ or _gangs_. Instead, we had a mid-level Shinigami attacking us right outside of Konoha." His eyes were analytical as he considered the situation they were in. "Because of this attack, this mission has gone from a simple C-rank to at _least_ a B-rank." Tazuna's gaze fell. He'd been caught. "If it was known that Shinigami were after you, the more expensive B-rank would have been issued. Now, while I'm sure you have your reasons, _lying_ to us about _mission details_ can lead to _fatal repercussions._" Urahara let out a sigh, thinking it over.

"We are now operating outside of our duties."

In other words, the mission was suspended until further notice.

Sakura was the first to speak up. While pleased with herself for protecting Tazuna, she was beginning to get nervous at the fact that there were possibly more Shinigami waiting for them between their current location and Nami no Kuni.

"We aren't ready for this mission. Let's quit!" She was beginning to sweat. Despite what might have been believed, she was in the right. Rarely do Gegami overpower focused Chugami. They got lucky, as it were. "We should also get Ichigo to a hospital. While you _may_ have gotten the poison out, there's no telling what other damage it might have caused."

Urahara looked between Sakura and Ichigo, who, despite having his arm bandaged and his kimono slightly cut up, looked to be in fine shape.

At least his ever present scowl didn't seem to be going anywhere.

"I'm fine." Ichigo spoke up. "I can handle myself, don't worry." He gave his arm a few twists to test out the bandages and, after feeling no pain or irritation, surprisingly, he allowed it to be.

Urahara looked at him. He looked fine but bravado and actuality could be two different things. "You sure? There's nothing wrong with heading back and getting that arm properly checked."

Ichigo stared at him. "When I took this mission, I swore to get Tazuna back to his village." He raised his bandaged arm out to Urahara. "Don't let this scratch stop us. I'm more than ready to keep going if it means completing that bridge."

Everyone stared at him. Kisuke nodded, pleased, as he glanced to the other two. "If any of you have doubts in your abilities or feel that you aren't ready for what's ahead, tell me now, and I _will_ take us back to Konoha."

His two other students stood quietly for a moment before Sasuke game a nonchalant shrug. "I think we can handle it." He'd handled himself well when he backed Ichigo up and, despite himself, he respected Ichigo for managing to take out the last assassin on his own, despite his injury.

All that remained was Sakura, to whom everyone stared at. She looked nervous for a moment, unsure of what to say, before gulping and giving a curt nod.

Urahara hesitated, certain the female of their team was just nodding to save face and not fail the others, but complied. "Very well, then." He nodded to his students. "But before we go, I want to know a little more about our enemy." He turned to Tazuna.

He _would_ be getting his answers.

* * *

In a large metal fortress, miles away from the Shinigami and the bridge builder, a short business man stood shouting across the room to a tall, muscular man who lounged in a chair by the windows. The business man looked rather unpleased at the moment as he glared at the lounging figure.

"Glad to see all _my_ money is being put to good use! Your incompetent associate, the _Demon Brother_," the short man said the name as if it were the most ironic thing he'd ever heard, "couldn't even complete his job to kill one – JUST ONE – BRIDGE BUILDER! Now what do you have to say for yourself?!"

The lounging fellow had a simple answer, as he reached behind himself and grasped the handle of a rather large sword and threw it forward.

The business man was surprised. "Stop bitching!" The lounging man, who wore a pair of arm and leg warmers, baggy brown shorts and a single strap to his chest, yelled, his voice, already muffled by the thick bandage wraps covering his face, sounded gravely and hoarse, even more so then his compatriot he'd sent out to, unsuccessfully, finish the bridge builder. "If you want the job done, I'll go and finish it myself!" The lounging man held his massive broadsword out at the sweating business man with one arm, unhindered by the swords weight. "I'll even bring you his head on a _silver platter_, if you'd prefer it that way."

The business man looked nervous. "Are you sure you'll be able? It seems the bridge builder hired some skilled Shinigami to guard him. And with the failure of the Demon Brother, they'll be on alert for you."

The lounging man let out a laugh like it was rubbed by sandpaper. "Who do you think I am? There's a reason why they called me the _Demon_ of _Kirigakure._

"It's because when it comes to the art of killing, _no one_ is better at it than **_me_**."


	5. Powerless

The waves of the ocean rocked silently as a small boat paddled its way away from the landmass that was Hi no Kuni. On the small boat, the group of Shinigami sat quietly, gazing through the heavy mist that was enveloping the ocean at the time. Tazuna, for once without his drink, looked around, side-to-side, as if expecting something to pop out and lob their heads off.

"We should see the bridge soon." A man, their boat rower, claimed. "Nami no Kuni is at the base of the bridge, just ahead." He kept quiet after that; the only sounds coming from the small vessel were the silent beats of the waves splashing against them.

It wasn't long before a massive shadow of stone and manmade labor came into view of the boat. The bridge was a colossal structure of cleanly shaved hard work and experienced construction. Though close, but not nearly done, from their spots below the bridge, the Shinigami team could see the construction equipment through the fog.

Ichigo, who'd only seen small bridges made of wood that went over small ponds or rivers that went through Konohagakure, was astounded by the sheer enormity of it all. "It's huge!"

"SSHHHHH! Be quite!" The rower whispered angrily from the back. "Why do you think we're not using the engine? Huh? Use yer head or Gatō will take it from ya!"

Ichigo looked back but nodded. He was right; they needed to be careful.

Especially after Tazuna explained the circumstances of their particular situation in greater detail…

* * *

Tazuna sighed tiredly as he threw his bottle into his travel pack and looked Urahara in the eye. "I'm sorry about deceiving of the severity of this mission. The truth is, my country is in a super dire situation, caused by an equally super dangerous man."

Urahara stared at him. "Super dangerous man? Who?"

Tazuna looked anguished at the mere thought of the man. "You've probably, at least, heard his name before. The wealthy shipping magnet; _Gatō_."

One of Urahara's eyes raised in surprise. "Gatō? As in the Gatō Company, Gatō? One-of-the-richest-men-on-the-planet _Gatō_?" This just kept getting better and better.

Tazuna nodded. "Officially, he runs one of the largest shipping companies in the world. But secretly, he deals in drugs and other illegal items. Using whatever means he sees fit, including bribes or force, to get what he wants. He's taken over entire businesses and, recently, even countries so that his empire may grow." Tazuna's eyes narrowed. "He is a truly a disgusting man."

Urahara nodded. He'd heard rumors about shady operations in Gatō's company, but no significant proof could ever be found to prove, without a doubt, his guilt. Even recently, news had spread of him buying out companies in non-Shinigami countries and even a few lower Shinigami villages as of late. He was expanding and quickly. Now he seemed to be subsidizing entire countries under his rule.

Urahara's eyes narrowed in thought. This domino effect was not looking good.

"It was about a year ago when Gatō set his eyes on Nami no Kuni." Tazuna continued. "Through money and violence, he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry and usurped his control over the people by various means of force.

"Gatō now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country. The only thing he has to fear now is the completion of the country's bridge."

Sakura, who'd walked up and listened to the story alongside her peers, nodded. "I see…since you're building the bridge, you're Gatō's main concern to remain in control of the country."

"So those Shinigami…they were hired by Gatō, correct?"

Tazuna nodded to Sasuke. "Obviously he's expanding past normal thugs to do his dirty work and onto more professional and powerful assistance."

"But what I don't understand is," Urahara spoke up, "why the ruse? If you knew Shinigami would be involved, why wouldn't you have told the Hokage to begin with?"

Tazuna looked ashamed as he glanced to his feet. "Our country is dying. It's super poor. Even our daimyo has no money. Our villages had to scrounge up whatever we could find just to afford this C-rank. A B-rank was just too expensive."

Ichigo looked at the man. He wasn't the drunk from before. Now, he just looked like a beaten client who was desperate to help his people. The man saw his bridge as his country's last hope and was willing to go to great depths and lengths to finish it.

With that thought, if anything, Ichigo's scowl lessened a bit. Maybe the drunkard had earned a _little_ respect from him.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly blame you, now that you know what you're up against." Tazuna laughed hoarsely. "I'll just make my way back home. Though, I'll probably just be killed on the way." He laughed. "Ah, but don't worry about it! If I die, my cute ten year-old grandson will just cry for a few days! And my daughter will live a sad life, hating the Shinigami of Konoha. Forever.

"But hey! Don't let it bother ya! It's not your fault. That's just how horrible, horrible life is, right?" Tazuna continued to laugh, looking quite content despite the circumstances, as the team looked on with deadpan looks, his ploy obvious.

Ichigo took back every decent thing he thought about the bridge builder a second ago.

"Well, I guess we have no choice." Urahara spoke him with a sigh. "We'll finish the C-rank mission, as planned, and protect you till the bridge is done."

Tazuna just smiled.

He won.

* * *

Back on the ocean, the small boat paddled through the waves and mist, using the bridge as a guide towards the island as the group kept quiet and alert.

"We'll be there, soon." The boatman whispered. "We got lucky. No one seems to have seen us…but, just in case, I'd suggest we take the underpass below the bridge. It has some vegetation on the other side – I doubt anyone's gonna notice us from there." Seeing no one argue with his logic, the rower guided the boat under a tunnel and through the dimly lit tunnel of the bridge.

Coming out from the other side, there was, indeed, a tightly packed placement of trees at the entrance. Not too much coverage, but even a little could help in a potential ambush.

Passing through the foliage, the boat came out beside a small shack connected to the mainland. "We'll stop there." Urahara whispered as the boat came about by the small dock. Quietly, Urahara and the rest stepped onto the dock, careful not to upset the water or creak the worn boards beneath them.

"This is it for me." The rower spoke up. "Stay safe, Tazuna."

"Yeah. And thanks. Couldn't have made it without ya." The man nodded as he placed his paddles in the boat and ignited the engine, fleeing the group's immediate area. Tazuna turned back to the Shinigami with a more hopeful look then he held hours before. "Alright, so, my home's not too far from here. We get there, I'm sure we'll be safe." He sounded confident. Urahara and the rest weren't so sure, as a house wasn't much of a fortress to a trained Shinigami.

And Urahara knew, the next attack, it wouldn't be from some Chugami. It would be a Jogami.

They needed to be _extra_ careful.

* * *

Ichigo walked quietly as he stood at the front of the group, thinking back to the 'Demon Brother,' as Urahara called him. He ran the scenario frequently since the day before.

He'd been scared. That much had been obvious. He'd noticed the puddle but despite it, he'd been scared.

He didn't like that. Being scared wasn't him. He didn't like that wild swing he took to protect himself against the two assassins. It had been wild, unplanned, instinctive, maybe, but it left him open and vulnerable.

If it hadn't been for Sasuke, he might've had it worse than a bleeding arm.

He'd only been a Shinigami for a month. Heck, he'd only had his Zanpakutō for a couple minutes before that. But still, the powerless of it all-

His eyes widened. "Who's there?!" Ichigo yelled, stopping the group as he yelled at a group bushes beside them.

The team tensed, glancing over to the bushes as the Shinigami reached for their individual weapons (or in Urahara's case, his cane) and watched for any movements.

The tension that held above them didn't last long as the bushes ruffled and a small, white-furred rabbit hopped out of the bush, nibbling on a piece of grass.

The team relaxed with a huff. "_Nice, Ichigo_." Sakura snarled, letting her hand drop from her Zanpakutō and sending an open glare at the orange-haired boy, who looked embarrassed at his blunder.

As Tazuna and the Gegami visibly relaxed, Urahara walked up to the rabbit. It didn't so much as flinch at his presence.

Urahara's eyes narrowed. He'd seen home-cared animals behave similarly. Which meant this wasn't a native rabbit.

The rabbit had been kept in a cage for the sake of a distraction.

* * *

In the trees above them, a tall figure watched over them all. His eyes narrowed over the green-clothed man with the cane.

He wasn't wearing a Shinigami outfit and he wasn't giving carrying a Zanpakutō. That struck him as odd, in itself.

But that hat. That cane. It wasn't much to go on, but the green-clothed man already figured out the rabbit by walking up to it.

It made sense why the Demon Brother failed. He never stood a chance.

Red-Blood Urahara.

* * *

Something caught the corner of Urahara's eyes. "EVERYONE! GET DOWN!"

Not a second later, a huge sword spun towards them in a rapid rotation through the air, gliding as if it were a boomerang. Sasuke grabbed Tazuna and tossed themselves to the ground as Ichigo and Sakura followed.

The sword flew quickly overhead before embedding itself into the trunk of a thick tree. Then, in a flash, standing on the lengthy handle of the sword, was the powerful figure of a rogue Shinigami.

Urahara stood up and looked between the sword and the tall man. He recognized him instantly from past reports and Kirigakure's most wanted.

"Well well well. If it isn't Kirigakure's most wanted Shinigami, _Momochi Zabuza_." Urahara spoke with a tone of seriousness, holding his cane in front of him.

Ichigo and the others glanced up to the man on the sword. But more specifically, the sword itself. That thing just flew like a top through the air. And from what it looked like, the man – Zabuza, by what the Gegami heard – was the culprit behind the attack.

That revelation, alone, unnerved them.

"Well, I see my reputation precedes me." Zabuza spoke up from the tree, looking over them. "Hmm. That cane...that hat... You know, I gotta ask, you wouldn't happen to be _Red-Blood Urahara_, would you?" Urahara didn't respond. "Thought so. And, sorry, but, from one professional to another, do you mind stepping away from the old man?" His eyes narrowed. "He's mine."

Ichigo stared at the both of them. Red-Blood? What did that mean?

Urahara's eyes stayed on Zabuza, as he reached for his cane with both hands. "Team Seven," he called out, "surround and protect Tazuna-san." The Gegami's eyes widened. "Do not enter this fight. Remember your teamwork. _Don't_ do anything stupid." His hand slid across his cane, as a sheet of wood fell from the curved handle of the cane, revealing a slender, sharp blade beneath it.

"Zabuza," Urahara called out, pointing the cane-sword at the missing-gami, "from one professional to another, fight me _first_."

"Oh. I already get to see the famous Zanpakutō of Urahara Kisuke?" He chuckled darkly. "I'm _honored_."

With a quick grab, Zabuza knelt down and grasped a firm hold on the sword in the tree. The next second, he and the sword disappeared.

Team Seven jumped beside Tazuna, each having their Zanpakutō out and ready.

They heard a splash, as the Shinigami turned to see Zabuza _standing_ on the water, hands held in a strange pose. His eyes were narrowed. "So, _Red-Blood_, let me show you _why_ I was named the _Demon_ of _Kirigakure_." And with that, the man seemed to fade from site; the mist around them thickening in an unnatural way.

Sakura's eyes looked around. "He's gone!"

Urahara's eyes narrowed, analyzing the situation.

Zabuza was a Jogami. A damn-skilled one, at that. More than likely, he'd come for him first, and then start picking off the rest. Zabuza was a hunter, with exceptional skills in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō and even Kidō. Like Urahara, his reputation was well known for good reason.

Zabuza liked to test himself. He was an exceptional Shinigami, born and raised at Kirigakure's worn-torn islands. And the worst thing; his most notable talent was his abilities in psychologically breaking and enemy and finishing off entire squads of Shinigami _in seconds_.

Kisuke was skilled, no one would deny. But Zabuza wasn't a Jogami, for nothing. "Stay focused." Urahara told his team. "Zabuza is an expert at eliminating enemies before they even notice." If anything, this unnerved them further.

Ichigo's eyes scanned around him. Unlike with the Demon Brother, his head was panicking from seeing his sensei 'die' in front of him. But the mist certainly wasn't helping things, especially when he noticed the trees beginning to dim. "_Shit_. The mist just keeps getting thicker!"

Sakura swallowed. "Sensei, where is he?!" Even the sun was starting to fade from view.

Sasuke's eyes began to twitch in all directions, looking for even the smallest flicker of movement through the lowering field of vision.

Then they heard the chuckle.

_"Eight choices."_

Tazuna and the Gegami tensed.

"_Eight ways to kill someone without them even realizing their dead."_

Urahara's eyes narrowed further.

"_Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys, heart."_

The voice seemed to be speaking from four different directions.

"_Which one should I choose?"_

Urahara scowled. This was going from bad, to worse. "_Enough_." He raised his sword up. "_Awaken, _**Benihime**!"

Urahara Kisuke seemed to love to surprise his students. Around the squad of Shinigami, the mist seemed to have a sudden gust of wind blow through it. Visibility returned to a greater degree than it had seconds before.

The squad's eyes widened at Urahara's hands. Gone was the cane they'd grown used to their sensei casually carrying. Now, clasped tightly, was a sleek, sharp, and _dangerous_ sword. It's blade was thicker, with a u-shaped guard connecting the dark-black handle to the blade.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw the shape of the cane change into the simple, yet oddly _ominous_, sword in his sensei's hands.

Ominous. Yeah, that would be the word to describe it. When Ichigo saw the cane show its hidden sword beneath it, it really hadn't surprised him. Urahara was a man of tricks and surprises. The 'hidden weapon' did not seem as alarming as the weapon Urahara held reflexively in front of him.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had a reaction. With the change of the sword's structure, a new feeling overwhelmed his senses.

_Fear_. Absolute _fear_.

Fear towards the sword. Fear towards the man holding the sword. Fear towards the mist, towards Zabuza, towards what might happen in _seconds_ if he didn't react fast enough.

The air began to thicken. He could feel sweat falling down from his forehead in thick globs. It was driving him nuts. The intensity of their sensei's intent to kill, empowered further by his Reiryoku and the sword in his hands, was too much.

His hands around his Zanpakutō began to twitch. He couldn't take it. This pressure was too much. He knew he'd rather _die_ ad get it over with-!

"_Sasuke_." The Uchiha's sweating head shot up. "Don't worry. I'll protect you guys, even if it _kills me_."

Urahara's words were strong and confident and, despite himself, a bit of red crossed Sasuke's face at the comforting words.

Urahara turned his head to smile at the three nervous Gegami. "I don't let comrades die under my watch." It was odd. Urahara's words were simple. Yet, Sasuke felt his breathing start to return to normal, his panicked state starting to less and his head beginning to work through the stress.

It wouldn't save him from what happened next.

"_You don't, huh?_"

The Gegami's eyes widened.

Right in the middle of their formation, Zabuza appeared without as much as a flicker in the wind.

Zabuza, despite himself, looked rather bored from his position. "_It's over._"

Urahara's eyes flew at Zabuza's figure. The next second was a blur, as Urahara moved with a speed the team had only seen once from their initiation test, and intersected Zabuza before he could even begin to swing his massive blade.

Urahara's sword, however, was faster. Right into his chest, Benihime's blade sunk into Zabuza's chest without any resistance.

Urahara's eyes narrowed. Even with a sharp sword, there was bound to be some resistance when going through the rib cage.

Then he looked annoyed.

And now, Zabuza was dripping water from his chest…

Ichigo, who leapt backwards from Urahara's attack, saw something from behind his sensei and yelled, "Urahara, behind you!"

Urahara, with a grimace, turned his head as the figure in front of him broke apart into water. There, standing behind him, was Zabuza, swinging his sword forward with wild gaze in his eyes.

Sakura, standing in front of her sensei, saw the large broadsword swing through Urahara, and promptly screamed as, for the second time in two days, she saw her sensei torn to pieces from enemy forces.

However, instead of blood, organs and pieces of clothing flying through the air, Zabuza's eyes widened as only black, rubbery pieces of some unknown material flew through the air, instead.

Zabuza's eyes widened even as a sword was placed under his chin. "You got over confident, Zabuza-kun." Urahara said. "It's over."

Ichigo could almost feel the tension in the air vanish as he saw Zabuza's eyes droop at being caught. Sakura visibly laughed at their enemy's defeat while Sasuke continued to stare at their sensei and the assassin.

Out of the three of them, it was perhaps the young Uchiha who knew best that things rarely ended as simply as this.

His concerns were well-founded, as Zabuza began chuckle. "That was a nice trick you did there. Telling your comrades you'd protect them to attract my attention towards them…and the balloon trick? Kiri is known for its rare clone Kidō. Never suspected someone from Hi no Kuni would make something as similar to fool me like that." He chuckled darkly. "It was a nice trick. But-

"_It's not that simple."_

Urahara's eyes widened at the voice behind him, as the figure in front of him exploded into a puddle of water.

* * *

At any other point, Kisuke would have marveled at the skill of Zabuza's clones. Clones were _not_ easy to make, and very few in the elemental nations had the ability to make them. The ability to make one clone was rare to begin with, but two? That required key levels of Kidō, Reiryoku and skill in constantly controlling them and that many did not possess. Clones weren't alive or capable of thought, which added to their difficulty of control. But they made excellent counter targets and allowed one to take risks at the expense of their clone, rather than themselves. It also had the effect of surprise; no one really expects their opponent to, in this example, _explode_ into a puddle of water before their eyes.

It was that nifty feature to surprise your enemy with a fake body that made Urahara interested in creating his body double, the Inflatable Gigai.

Further, not only had Zabuza created two clones at the same time, but he'd also managed to hold the clones with such a precise control over them to the point that Urahara – a master of Kidō and Reiryoku sensing – hadn't even noticed the difference between the real one and the fake.

Truly, Zabuza was living up to his name of the Demon of Kirigakure.

* * *

Urahara's body hit the ground in a crouch as Zabuza's sword swung widely over, barely missing the top of his head (and hat). However, Zabuza's attack wasn't over, as he twisted his sword around to plant itself into the earth behind him and, placing his hand on the base of the weapon's handle, used the forwarding momentum to land a harsh kick into Urahara's side.

Urahara was sent flying. Zabuza picked up his large sword and went in pursuit.

However, he didn't get far before dozens of red spikes shot up from the ground floor where he stood, three of them piercing into his knees and thighs of both legs.

Despite the pain, Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "Again with the tricks!" He swung the oversized sword down onto the dozens of spikes and, with a rush of energy, the crimson barbs evaporated into particles of red energy. Zabuza then promptly disappeared from sight.

Urahara hit the water, picking up buckets of water with the impact, as he placed his hands on the water and pushed himself up, looking for the assassin. He wasn't fast enough.

"_This _is_ Red-Blood Urahara_? Heh." Urahara's eyes didn't even have time to turn around, as a glob of water flew out around him, encasing him in an orb of densely packed water. He didn't even have time to react with Benihime when he heard chuckling from outside the unbreathable orb. "Kiri Kidō:** Suirō**."

Urahara looked around. The water was unnaturally dense to the point it felt as if it felt like he was trying to move his body through concrete. Struggling wasn't doing anything except waste energy and breath he couldn't recover.

And now, the only thing that was stopping the Kiri Shinigami from the bridge builder was a few rookie Gegami, barely out of the academy.

The situation was going from worse to horrible.

From land, the Gegami were stunned. Urahara Kisuke, their sensei and the one who'd thoroughly trumped them a month ago, had been captured.

Now they were alone.

Zabuza looked back to the Gegami and raised his arm out towards them. "_Take my face, my ambition, and journey. Strike my enemies as I am and paint red the object from which you were formed._ **Mizu Kurōn**!"

As Zabuza went through the lengthy chant, the water in front of him began to spin faster and faster, as if a whirlpool was being summoned from beneath them. As the chant ended, however, a single arm shot out of the water.

A second arm shot out after that. The hands of the arms placed themselves on the water around itself, pressing against the intangible surface as if it were solid. Suddenly, a head, a torso, and finally a pair of legs popped out from the small whirlpool of water without as much as a splash.

The watery, humanoid form had no defining features, at first. However, slowly, the watery hands began to lose its see-through appearance, appearing solid with its coloring changing into that of dull pale.

Slowly, the rest of the watery figure's features began to change. First the hands, then the arms, the torso, then the legs, then finally, after a lengthy bit of difficulty, clothes and a detailed face began to appear. The process took less than fifteen seconds, but it seemed to last much longer as the Gegami were astonished by the figure taking shape in front of them.

Slowly and with rather lumbered movements, the water cloned Zabuza took heavy steps on to the land, not even dragging drops of water from the ocean from which it was formed. It almost seemed tired as its feet dragged itself before the Gegami.

Then, even though each of them had seen it before, the clone smiled. "Hehe. Bunch of kids." It lifted its head to look at them. "You think having those swords and sheaths makes you Shinigami?" He barked out a laugh. "You know nothing! A _real_ Shinigami is someone who has survived brushes with death _dozens_ of times! When you feel the cold touch of death on your shoulder and brush it aside to finish the job at hand, then maybe, _maybe_, you may be called _Shinigami_!"

The clone turned its head to Ichigo, whose legs stiffened at the glance. The clone grunted. "When you've become so deadly that your name has been entered into the Bingo Book, _then_ you may have earned the title of _Shinigami_." The clones arm raised to his face in a strange hand signature. The mist swirled around them and the clone disappeared.

Ichigo's eyes began to search the area around the clone. In his mind, even a flicker of movement could save his life. One shift in the mist, or clap of a foot on the earth. Anything to indicate where the clone might strike from could have been the difference between life and death.

But like before, nothing.

And that feeling of absolute powerlessness was overwhelming.

Just like with the Demon Brother.

He wasn't about to let himself panic. Not even for a second. Panic and you _die_.

His search was for nothing, however. He felt the powerful kick to his gut before he even saw the foot itself. Like before, not even a shift in the wind could be felt before Zabuza's presence was made known to them.

"Gahh!" The Gegami shouted, his mouth coughing up a wad of saliva, as he was thrown twenty feet back. He rolled an additional ten feet before grinding to a hard stop.

Sakura and Sasuke turned towards their fallen comrade and the clone, stunned by what just occurred. The clone snarled. "As I thought. Just brats."

Ichigo glanced up from his spot on the ground with a grunt. His hands were scratched up from just the kick, as the power of the blow not only knocked him back, but also forced him to release Zanpakutō from his grip.

The clone brought his foot up and stomped down on the missing over-sized sword. "Missing something?"

As a Gegami, if you lost your Zanpakutō, you lost your main source of power as a Shinigami.

You were powerless.

Urahara, still trapped in the orb of water and trying to figure out a way out of the trap he'd so foolishly caught himself in, decided that there was only one way to even _remotely_ get his students out of danger's way.

"Team Seven," he shouted from the water prison, "Take Tazuna and run! Zabuza is too much for you – you can't beat him!" He glared up to Zabuza. "The clone has a limited range of effectiveness and with the real Zabuza keeping me trapped, there's no way for him to get to you! Run now!" It wasn't his usual way of doing things. He had a policy of never running away. His sword was an echo of that resolve to keep fighting to the end.

But this was different. He couldn't focus his Reiryoku and his air levels were running low.

Yes. Even though he was against running from his enemies, he knew the Gegami weren't ready to face someone like this with barely a month's worth of training.

Against Zabuza, they would be powerless to stop, even his clone.

The panic in Urahara's voice was a first for the young Shinigami and the bridge builder. Sweat and panic couldn't have been more evident on their faces. Tazuna looked about as prepared for the situation as any of them, Sakura looked ready to cry and Sasuke grit his teeth in agitation of the situation.

Powerless.

Ichigo looked at Urahara's trapped form from his place on the ground. "What are you talking about?" He turned his gaze to the clone, which had his foot calmly placed onto his sword. "I'm not some _punk_ who can sit back and do nothing while somebody is going to die for their sake." He got onto his legs with a slight wobble. "So there's no way," His eyes met the clone's, "that I could run away!" He charged the clone.

Urahara growled. "Don't throw your life away!"

Sasuke's eyes showed surprise.

"Ahh! Ichigo! What are you thinking?!"

Zabuza's clone narrowed its eyes as it reached for its weapon. "_Fool."_

With another swing of its sword, the clone sent the orange-haired boy flying back towards his teammates, picking up dirt and grass as he flew back.

He stopped at their feet. He wasn't moving.

"What are you doing attacking him like that?!" Sakura questioned angrily. "We're Gegami! We don't stand a chance against someone like him!"

Ichigo didn't react to her words, sprawled on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Then, with a series of grunts and a splatter of blood from his mouth, the orange-haired Shinigami moved his arm out and pressed himself up onto his knees.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened. There, held protectively in his hand, was the long, slender Zanpakutō.

Ichigo smiled, blood flowing down a corner of his mouth. "Hey you; Momochi Zabuza," Ichigo's voice was hoarse and heavy, as his legs struggled to stand him upright, "we might just be kids, straight out of the academy, but I want you to remember one thing." Ichigo's right arm struggled, the bandage wrapped around it showing itself off, as he raised his Zanpakutō up and rested it onto his shoulder.

He smiled a cocky smile, wiping the blood from his mouth. It may have just been bravado or blind-confidence over the situation, but he felt it - a flow of renewed energy coursing through him.

He was done feeling powerless.

"Today, these bunch of kids, are gonna kick your ass!"


	6. Red-Blood

Urahara's stared at the Gegami as a visible twitch crossed the missing-gami's face beside him.

Tazuna, surprised for a moment, smiled. His opinion of the orange-haired lad rising at the resolution in his voice.

Ichigo continued to smile. "Hey Sasuke!" He shouted, not looking away from Zabuza for a second. "Keep ready and be prepared to give it your all! I have a plan!"

Sasuke glanced over to him. "_You_ got a plan?" He hesitated for a second before nodding. "Alright then, just tell me when you're ready."

Sakura, wide-eyed, looked between her two teammates. "What's going…on?" Ichigo was smiling. He never smiled. And he had a plan Sasuke was willing to listen to. Sasuke hardly acknowledged anything she or Ichigo ever said.

They were both so…_determined._

Ichigo brought his Zanpakutō forward and pointed it at the clone with a smirk. "Alright Sasuke; it's time to put this guy down!"

* * *

Zabuza's clone looked into Ichigo's eyes, seeing the resolute look in them, and laughed. "Big words for such a _little man._" The clone shook its head. "You think your plan is going to keep you in the _game_?" The clone reached for the sword strapped to his back.

Urahara's eyes narrowed under the water. The clone, and by extension Zabuza, was getting serious. "Are you a bunch of idiots?! I told you to run, scram, hit the road, _get out of here_!"

The male members of his Gegami squad, to the surprise of those around them, smiled rare, almost unheard of, smiles. "Sorry Sandal-hat-"

"I'm afraid we can't do that."

"What?!"

"Well, you said it yourself," Ichigo shouted loudly across from trapped Jogami, "those who break the rules are trash-"

"But those who abandon their friends are _worse than trash._" Sasuke finished, his arm pulling his Zanpakutō from its sheath as he moved to stand beside his squad mate.

Urahara couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Now_ they decided to work together, when he needed them to most definitely _not_!

That's it. It was official. The universe hated him.

Zabuza's clone seemed lost in thought as it stared at the two Gegami, before a low chuckle escaped its throat. Then the chuckle turned into laughter as its form shook from the bellows escaping him. "_You little fools_." He removed his grip from his sword as his eyes hardened. "You are all _still_ playing around, pretending to be _Shinigami_." The hand that left his sword went to his face, as he stared at it with a glare. "You have no _idea_ what it means to be Shinigami! To be Shinigami is to have had the flicker of another's life in the palm of your hands and crushed it!" His hand closed into a hard fist. "By the time I was your age, this hand of mine was _soaked_ in the blood of _hundreds_ of Shinigami!"

The Gegami looked surprised at the level of animosity in Zabuza's declaration, as Urahara turned in his watery prison and glared up to his captor. "Momochi Zabuza; the Demon of Kirigakure."

The real Zabuza looked surprised as he glanced down to the Jogami. "Oh. So I was in your book to, huh?" He chuckled. "I'm flattered, really."

"W-what's he talking about sensei?" Sakura's question caught Urahara's attention, as he turned back to his shaken team. "There's no way he could have killed Shinigami at our age – there's just no way!" The female member of the Shinigami was shaking, as she tried to disprove the clone's words.

Urahara grimaced. Zabuza was showing, more and more, his prowess at corrupting and breaking the moral of his opponents with every passing second. "Seventeen years ago, in Kirigakure no Sato – also known at Chigiri no Sato, at the time – before a student could become a Shinigami, there was one final test that they had to pass."

His words hung in the air as Zabuza glanced back to his captive. "You know about Kiri's graduation exam?"

Ichigo blinked. "Graduation exam? What about it?"

The clone started to snicker again.

"What's the big deal? We had to go through an exam to, so what?"

Ichigo was starting to scowl as the clone just continued to chuckle under his breath. "But did you have to _exterminate_ the other students to pass?" The implication of his struck, not only Sakura, but the boys and Tazuna, as well.

Urahara lowered his head. "Zabuza…"

The clone ignored the Jogami. "Imagine Shinigami like you, who have spent _years_ training and honing their abilities so that they _might_ be able to become Shinigami of their village one day. Spending hours knowing one another, _inside and out_, only to require you to literally _tear apart_ those insides yourself!

"That was the final exam: a one on one fight between two students, randomly chosen, to the death! Your friend, your classmate, someone who shared your dream – you were given a knife and told to slaughter them to prove your loyalty! No giving up, no giving in-!

"It was either _**them** _or _**you**_! **_You_** or _**theeeemmm**_!"

Zabuza's description of the test led his students to, unconsciously, imagine their own experiences in the academy. Their friends, their peers, their future comrades. They tried to imagine Iruka taking two of them to a room, alone, and telling them to kill each.

They imagined doing it.

None of them, not even the usually calm and closed-off Sasuke, liked that idea.

"Sixteen years ago," Urahara spoke up, drawing his student's thoughts away from their imaginings, "the graduation exam changed." His eyes wandered to Zabuza's clone. "The change came because during the previous year," the clone of Zabuza glanced behind him to Urahara's unwavering gaze, "a _devil_ walked through the front doors on graduation day."

Sakura didn't know where her sensei was going with this, or why he was saying it. "What do you mean by change? What devil? What did he do?"

"Without hesitation or mercy, a young boy, not even a Shinigami, walked into the academy with a small Zanpakutō," Urahara's hat fell over his eyes, "and _killed_ over a hundred trained students."

The Gegami's eyes widened at the implication of his words. They didn't need to be told who the 'devil' was._  
_

The clone turned back to the Gegami squad, eyes lowered. "That day…that day was so much…" his hands clenched tightly, "_**FUN**_!"

Before the Gegami could even react, Zabuza rammed his elbow into the Uchiha and sent his skipping across the hard ground. The clone disappeared again as he appeared beside Sasuke and with the same elbow, pounded his arm into the prodigy's rib cage.

Sasuke let out a scream from the ground. "Sasuke-kun!"

Zabuza watched as the color left the boy's face, standing over him with a foot over where he'd elbowed him.

"_Die._" He reached for the sword on his back.

"No you don't!" Ichigo yelled through clenched teeth, as he rushed the clone with brandished Zanpakutō and going airborne for a slash across the eyebrow-less man's _face_.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed, bringing his sword around and blocking the boy's strike with ease. He stepped off of Sasuke to get better leverage.

"Huh. So that's a _sealed_ Zanpakutō." Zabuza mused to himself, as he glanced over the sword that was attempting to cleave him in two. "And a fairly large one, too." That was a unique, if nothing else. He could have sworn something so large would have to have been released.

Ichigo, seeing that he wasn't making any ground with the rogue Shinigami, especially after seeing him hold off the orange-haired boy with one hand, looked over to the bruised and bleeding Sasuke.

"What are you doing?! Move!"

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice as he leapt back from the Zanpakutō fray. Zabuza barked out a laugh.

"Like _that_ will save him." His other arm went to the handle of the sword and, giving a hard nudge forward, brushed the boy off of him and brought his sword back. "Or _you_ for that matter."

He swung hard. The sound of the metal against metal of two Zanpakutō hitting one another could be heard almost around the small nation. Ichigo's hands practically bled as they held back the enormous pressure of the blow, causing the boy to thrown back towards his equally damaged teammate.

He was lucky to have held onto his Zanpakutō that time, at least, or to have it come out undamaged, for that matter.

But now wasn't the time to worry about such things.

Looking up beside him, he saw Sasuke's worried expression. He scowled. "Now!"

Sasuke's looked at him, surprised, as he looked between the downed boy and the clone. A confused expression crossed his face as he glanced down to his wounded teammate again before looking back to the clone.

Then it hit him. He smirked, despite the pain to his face.

It was a good plan.

"_Ye lord!_" Sasuke's voice echoed around the area as he raised his arms forward and aimed. "_Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!_"

His arms began to glow a bright red, as a flicker of what seemed to be fire erupted from his palms up to his elbows. His legs braced hard to the ground as his eyes focused on the target.

"Hadō number 31!"

All the energy around him seemed to form into the center point of his outstretched arms.

"**Shakkah****ō**!"

A ball of energy erupted from his palms. Easily as large as the point of his hands to his torso, the sphere of red burst ahead of him like firework, leaving a trail of red steam passing behind it along with a glare almost too bright to look into.

The clone gazed at it, raising its sword up to intercept as it rushed forward.

Or so it thought. From a distance, the dark-haired boy appeared to have been pointing his arms at the clone itself. But now, it noticed its error as the ball of dense, hot energy flew past him and straight towards the ocean.

The real Zabuza's eyes narrowed as it dawned on him what was occurring. The entire time, the clone had been the middle man between himself, Urahara and the kids. When the orange-haired one attacked, he hadn't noticed the other boy on his team had jumped back to another point on the ground, even when he knocked his teammate back towards him.

He had a free line of shot after all that.

"Hmm. Not a bad plan." He was willing to admit. "However," he quickly raised his free arm to his sword and brought it forward to the ball of energy as it flew towards him, cleaving it directly down the middle with a heavy swing, "that won't be enough to defeat me!" The ball of energy combusted into several dozen particles of red, leaving an eruption of water and smoke around the rogue and captive.

"He cut right through it!" Sakura gasped. She'd never seen that done before. Heck, she'd never heard it even being possible to cut Kidō with one's Zanpakutō. Which meant even Kidō, something Sakura and Sasuke excelled at, wouldn't even be able to make the older Jogami so much as _flinch._

As the Uchiha's attack failed before his eyes, he smirked with a small laugh.

He'd known this. And so had Ichigo.

Zabuza's victory over the risky attack from the Uchiha was short-lived. From behind the explosion of heat, water and smoke, a mess of orange hair and a black kimono came leaping towards him. A shine of metallic metal held above.

Zabuza's eyes widened, along with his captive's, as they caught the white in Ichigo's focused and unwavering eyes.

The young Shinigami held his sword up above his head. "You're mine!"

Zabuza saw the sword coming down. His left arm was still holding his sword, but his arm was still in motion from cutting the Kidō attack from before. He wasn't sure if he had enough strength to stop the attack with his own hardened skin. Holding a prison of water and several clones, not to mention a mist, together was taxing on his level of Reiryoku. Not even _he_ had enough skill to keep all of those techniques going at the same time, even for a second.

He had no choice.

Lifting his right arm up, he focused his energy into his skin and hardened it considerably. Ichigo's attack struck hard as his rammed into the Jogami's rough skin.

Zabuza's eyes widened in fury at the attack from the boy. He could feel the sword ever so slightly breaking his rough skin. His eyes widened in an almost animalistic way, as he threw his arm out, pushing the sword away and throwing the Shinigami boy into the air.

He brought his sword around quickly with both hands. "Damn kid!" He swung again, this time putting enough strength into it that even the _air_ seemed to be cut around his sword as he aimed for the boy.

Ichigo's head twisted around in the air as he caught site of the incoming sword. Zabuza caught his gaze, but didn't fully register the boy's lack of fearful expression. If anything, the boy was smiling. Smirking, in fact. But why?

A second later, Zabuza understood, as his sword hit something that might have been the equivalent of hitting his sword to a _mountain_. The rogue Shinigami twisted his head around.

Drenched, soaked to the last of his clothes and hat-less, Urahara Kisuke held back the marauder, Benihime at his side.

Urahara's eyes fell onto Zabuza. Zabuza's own eyes showed surprise.

Red-Blood Urahara was free.

* * *

"Urahara-sensei!" Sakura yelled from land, watching everything with a look of absolute amazement, even as Ichigo hit the water around the Shinigami with a splash.

He came up for air not a second later, as he looked up to his sensei and the Demon of Kirigakure.

They didn't move at his presence, keeping their eyes solely on one another.

"Ichigo-kun," Urahara spoke up, panting slightly as he took in some much-needed breathes, "that was an excellent plan. You and Sasuke showed an excellent level of efficiency as a team." Ichigo, drenched, smirked triumphantly.

"I knew that we wouldn't be able to take the clone alone while you were trapped in that bubble, Sandal-hat. I had to figure out something that could get you free. That was when I noticed the way the clone or Zabuza talked to either of us." He caught the attention of both Jogami now.

"They only talked one at a time. One would show emotion while the other stood still. I figured that Zabuza had to focus on his clone to make it do anything while keeping you trapped with the mist around him. After all, the clone was just water. It has no brain or common thoughts. It couldn't relay anything while Zabuza was talking or moving himself.

"Once I figured out that, I figured we needed to get you out. But with the clone in the way, that was impossible. So, once Sasuke and I positioned ourselves out of the way of you and the clone, Sasuke figured out the rest and fired a little Kidō your way. From the glare from the Shakkahō, I ran behind the fireball while the clone was on standby and gave Zabuza an attack right down the front!"

Ichigo looked quite pleased with himself after his explanation. Who could blame him? He just surprise attacked a Jogami. Admittedly, one who hadn't been taking the Konohagakure Shinigami seriously, but a Jogami nonetheless.

Zabuza, still crossing swords with Kisuke, tried to laugh it off. "I got distracted by a _runt_ and released the prison…"

Urahara gave him a flat look. "Not a chance. That boy there _forced you_ to release the Kidō." Zabuza glared at him for accusation. Urahara's gaze remained flat as the two swordsmen held each other back, neither relenting their hold over the other. "You know, Zabuza-kun, you're right about earlier; they _do_ call me Red-Blood Urahara." Zabuza's eyes narrowed. He'd already established this. "But till now, I don't think I've given you a very good reason as to _why _they call me that." Urahara's eyes scrunched together, his grip on his sword tightening.

"Wanna find out?"

Zabuza's eyes widened, as he gave a hard push back and leapt away from his opponent. Urahara stood his ground as Zabuza landed several feet away, his hands tossing his sword back onto his shoulder strap as his eyes widened in an almost psychotic way.

The water around him began to turn and twist in unusual ways, as Zabuza's form began to shine with an almost _purplish_ energy. His hands gripped tightly together and a vein atop his forehead began to twitch notably even to the Gegami on land.

Urahara's hair waved about at the level of Reiryoku emanating from his opponent. But still, his expression did not change. "That won't work on me, _Zabuza_."

"_No place, no road, no bridge, no wall I cannot pass! Future lies, liquid holds, bear the world's weight in form!"_

The water around Zabuza began to spin around him, similar to his previous summoning of the clone before, but to a much, _much_ greater degree.

"_Storm and cataclysm, blood and oath, __relinquish hope, _sacrifice pain!"

The wind began to pick up further. Ichigo, who'd finally made it back to land, held onto the earth as the waves threatened to pull him back. Sasuke and Sakura held their arms to their faces, the wind tossing branch and twig around them. Tazuna did much the same, though he seemed to be shouting curses to various sorts of gods, demons and ethereal beings as he did so.

"_Dragon of the Mist! _**Seiry****ū**!"

The water erupted around the Kiri rogue, as the currents of liquid twisted and turned around in the air and formed into large, condensed body of seawater. The body twisted, expanding into a thick, but slenderer form, as the water seemed to glow from above Zabuza in a pale, almost unreal light.

Then a mouth formed. Or, what appeared to be a mouth. Then a row of jagged teeth. Then horns. Then eyes – eyes which glowed so brightly, you would have thought the water had been given life by the sheer power of Zabuza's Reiryoku.

The water – now clearly in a serpent-like form – had produced scales and such an aura of power and appearance, it was hard to believe that it was formed, not a second ago, from the salty water of the ocean.

Zabuza, despite the beads of sweat falling from his forehead, appeared un-burdened by the task he'd just performed.

"It's over, _Red-Blood_!" He clapped his hands together and narrowed his eyes. "_Go!_"

The lifelike dragon screeched, as its gaze fell onto Urahara's form. With a small moment to ready itself, it shot forward towards the Konohagakure Shinigami. Mouth wide and eyes blazing a brilliant shade of blue, it met the Shinigami head on.

Urahara barely seemed to acknowledge its existence. He raised his sword to the creature and, with a simple twist of the sword, formed a red circle in the air. "_Tsuppane,_ _**Benihime.**_"

The watery form hit the tip of the red ring and paused. The watery form of the Kidō seemed to have been frozen in midair, staring forward at its intended target.

Then its eyes seemed to widen, its mouth closed, and what looked like convulsions seemed to occur on its azure-colored form. Then, after another brief second of pause, dragon promptly exploded in a wave of Reiryoku, Reishi and seawater. The release of so much energy at once pushed the large body of water so far onto shore that the Gegami and bridge builder had to cover themselves from the sprays of water.

Sasuke's eyes, however, never left the two Shinigami for a second. That level of Reiryoku, of Kidō, and how Urahara just destroyed the dragon with seemingly nothing more than a flick of his wrist – incredible!

Sakura held onto Tazuna, who'd fallen over form the attack and seemed ready to have a heart attack at what he'd just seen.

Ichigo was coughing up seawater, having been much closer to the epicenter of the attack on his sensei.

He glanced back to see Zabuza and Urahara once again lock swords against each other. The two seemed to struggle to brush the other away.

Urahara looked unfazed by the destruction of the attack, while Zabuza looked ready to pop a blood vessel.

'Red-Blood Urahara Kisuke' had just taken one of his most powerful Kidō attacks head on with nothing more than a twitch of the hand and a flicker of Reiryoku. He'd only had _one other_ do such a thing to that level, and it had been many years since the time when he was an ignorant, unimpressive Shinigami of Kirigakure.

Despite the situation, Zabuza's appreciation for Red-Blood's abilities grew _immensely_.

They broke apart, both jumping away from one another as they studied one another.

"Nice moves, _Red-Blood_."

"Your Kidō's not bad either, _Demon_."

"I'm flattered. But I have to say, even with that nice sword technique there, I still think you still haven't lived up to the reputation you've garnered."

"Is that right?" Urahara smiled. "Well, despite that large Zanpakutō you've got there, all I've seen from you is some heavy Kidō spells and some not-too-shabby Zanjutsu. When do you plan to introduce me to your friend?" Zabuza didn't rise to Urahara's offer. Urahara's smile widened a tad. "Or, am I right to say, the reason you don't say your Zanpakutō's name, is because of one simple fact." His sword hand tightened around Benihime.

"You don't know your sword's name, do you?"

The area around them quieted. Zabuza seemed to pause for a moment, as his hands loosened their grip around his sword for a brief second.

For Urahara, that all but confirmed it.

He was right, of course. Urahara was rarely, if ever, wrong (about anything, for that matter). Zabuza was one of the rare, almost unheard of, examples of Shinigami in the world. An example of a Shinigami who's personal progress had passed his or her own Zanpakutō's to the point that their Zanpakutō's voice had all but been drowned by their owners own Reiryoku. Urahara knew only one other example of an individual who's power had surpassed that of his Zanpakutō to the point of becoming deaf to his Zanpakutō's voice.

Now, he knew two.

Zabuza's eyes fell for only the briefest of seconds at Urahara's words, looking over his absurdly large Zanpakutō, before his eyes flew up again, filled with an agitation the Jogami was starting to grow used to.

"You _really_ know how to piss people off, don't you?"

"It's a gift!"

"Well, don't let yourself get overconfident." Once more, an ominous purple energy flowed around Zabuza, as his hands went to his sword. "I don't need some useless name to beat some _clown_. I've beat hundreds of Shinigami without as much as a word of passing from my Zanpakutō." His hands noticeably tightened around his silent Zanpakutō.

"I didn't need it to join the Seven Swordsmen. My skill alone drove me to become one of the legendary elites of Kiri's history!" His anger was rising. "I didn't need it to become a Chugami or Jogami of my village, the first ever to do so! I didn't need it to have dozens of followers join me in striking against my Mizukage or surviving as long as I have against the dozens he's sent against me!" His sword seemed to glow alongside him as the air began to grow heavy with his Reiryoku. "I don't need some name to prove who I am!"

Urahara watched the ever increasing Reiryoku (and anger) rise up from Zabuza like a dam had broken inside of him. Despite the level of power he felt, Urahara smiled, bringing Benihime to his side and getting into a wide stance. So that was his weakness.

"So I hear." He yelled over the wind that was rushing around Zabuza's figure. "But I hope you don't mind, Zabuza-kun," Urahara's body shook for a brief moment, as a very evident, very dark red aura began to envelop his person, "if I put that theory to the test?"

Zabuza growled. His foot pressed down on the water around him. His eyes widened in that familiar psychotic way Urahara had grown used to, and he charged the Shinigami with a roar of blind, horrifying rage.

"_Nake_." Urahara whispered over the screaming Zabuza. The red aura vanished from his person, but the air seemed to almost _stiffen_ around him as his face tensed and his eyes hardened.

He waited. Zabuza met him head on, bringing his sword down, roaring like the demon he'd been named after.

But it was already over.

"_**Benihime**_."

Urahara swung.

* * *

Ichigo watched the clash from his spot on land. His eyes widened.

Time seemed to pause for the briefest of seconds as Urahara swung his sword. Sound, feeling, even the air in his throat seemed to give pause to watch the Shinigami clash.

There was a flash of red and Ichigo understood why Urahara's nickname was _Red-Blood_.

* * *

Zabuza didn't even have time to register Red-Bloods attack before it happened. He saw the swing. He saw the sword. He hadn't registered them as threats. In his anger, he'd assumed his sword would take the brunt of the smaller swords attack, before the rest of his sword's attack fell down on Urahara's skull.

Instead, the moment their swords touched, unlike the previous two times, Urahara's let loose something _more_.

Like gas being set off, the sword let loose a dark, crimson colored energy from its blade, passing through the larger Zanpakutō and ramming into Zabuza's torso with enough force to make the powerful rogue lose all sense of feeling in his body. The sheer overwhelming power coming from the attack - _unreal._

Zabuza flew – _literally flew_ – as the energy continued to sting, burn and beat down on his being. He felt himself pushed off the ocean like it was nothing – his form passing through the thick trees behind him even as the energy continued to apply pressure.

He had to have passed through five trees before coming to a stop at the bottom of the sixth, the red energy finally passing past him and releasing him from its unrelenting attack.

His eyes were wide. That could have killed him. Easily. Had it not been for his Zanpakutō taking the brunt of the attack, he would have died.

He barely had time to register even that much, however, before familiar spikes of red jutted out from the tree behind, piercing his limbs and holding him in place.

Despite the pain, the bruises and the overwhelming intensity of what had just occurred not a minute ago, Zabuza managed to turn his head toward the tree above him. He looked scared, as he saw Urahara's sword piercing the tree, sending out the red energy that kept him still.

"How?" He had to know. "How did you-?"

"Simple." Urahara's eyes, always in between different emotions, were now fixed solely on Zabuza's frightened pair. "_I was better than you_."

Zabuza's eyes were now truly terrified.

But they didn't hold the look for long.

Before Team Seven, the bridge builder or even Urahara realized it, Zabuza had died in front of them.

Two sharpened needles jutting through his throat.

"You were right."

Urahara's eyes widened behind his unruly hair, as he looked towards a nearby tree and the origin of the foreign voice.

"You _were_ better than him today…"

* * *

The Gegami watched the whole interaction with open amounts of shock and awe. There was no point in hiding it. Urahara Kisuke had done something _unbelievable_. He'd taken Zabuza out, then and there. The attack had demolished trees and landscape. He'd captured him and pinned him to the tree, fully ready to finish off the equally unbelievable rogue Shinigami.

It was all so..._impossible_.

Then they were all surprised again, when they noticed a brief flicker in the air, even from where they stood, and then watched as Zabuza's body fell forward, limp.

Ichigo and Sasuke's eyes showed open astonishment at the scenes of a minute ago. Sakura, though shaky in the knees, held just as much surprise as they did. Tazuna, the only civilian in the group, knew this would be something he'd dream and have nightmares about for years to come.

Urahara watched the mask individual for a second, watching his movements carefully for any hostile actions, before jumping down from the tree and landing beside the unmoving Zabuza.

He held his fingers to his throat.

No pulse.

Momochi Zabuza was dead.

"Thank you very much for helping me apprehend the rogue Shinigami, Urahara-san." The figure, the one who took down Zabuza, said with an air of calm and passiveness that shouldn't have been normal for someone of the individual's obvious youth. "I have been searching for the opportunity to apprehend the fugitive for a long time now."

Urahara glanced up to the figure. Getting a better look at him, his clothes were somewhat formal in appearance with long hair tied into knots at the sides, but that's not what caught his attention. "That mask," Urahara muttered to himself, "you're a Kirigakure Shinigami Hunter, aren't you?"

The masked figure didn't appear to be taken aback but Urahara's knowledge, but nodded. "Impressive. You are correct. I am one of Kirigakure's Shinigami Hunters."

Urahara studied him still. From his voice and height, he assumed he couldn't have been much older than his Gegami. And yet, he was already being assigned to hunt down Missing-Shinigami…

He was special, that one.

Urahara stepped back, as the Kiri Hunter stepped down beside the corpse. Urahara waved his sword in the air, reverting it back to its cane appearance as a sign of good faith. "Your battle is over here." Said the Hunter. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must dispose of the body." He held his hand to his face and, with a wave over his mask, he and the corpse faded from the groups sight.

Urahara let out a sigh of relief. _That_ had been stressful.

He turned back to his team, as Tazuna and the Gegami walked over.

Ichigo's eyes looked from the trampled trees, to the crushed earth, to the ocean. He crossed his arms. "That guy…" He frowned. "That guy took down Zabuza like he was _nothing_." He was a kid. A kid not to different from them and he'd done what none of them even had a _chance_ of doing.

Urahara leaned on his cane, staring at the mess of orange hair on the boy. "I know how you feel." He admitted, catching Ichigo's attention. "But I'm afraid that's just how this world works. There are kids even younger than you out there…" His smile seemed to dim slightly, as he turned and walked towards the waterfront where he'd blown Zabuza out of the ocean, as he reached towards the edge of the water and plucked a drenched green-and-white hat with his free hand.

"And yet, _stronger_ than _me_."

Ichigo's eyes followed Urahara, understanding his words with a nod. Sasuke's gaze lowered, knowing that hard truth, again, better than most.

Urahara smiled brightly. "Now, how about we head over to Tazuna-san's house, shall we?"

Tazuna smiled brightly. "Haha! Super thanks, you guys! You showed Gatō's goon a thing or two, huh?!" He laughed loudly, the stress leaving him as the threat left the area as a corpse. "You can relax all you want at my house! My daughter and super grandson will be so happy to meet you all-"

He would have kept boasting about his family all the way to the house, if it weren't for Urahara suddenly falling over.

"Ahh! Urahara-sensei!"

"Sandal-hat!"

Urahara just smiled sheepishly. "Seems like I'm a little tired. Heheheh…"

* * *

**Hey. This is Scratch here, writing my first Author's Note. Yay!**

**Just wanted to say that, and I acknowledge, that some of you have been saying I am too much towards the canon Naruto for my story. I acknowledge that. It isn't easy to have your situations be familiar to the viewer while also making them quite different. Especially with Ichigo and Naruto, while different in personalities, having similar aspects of character, as well.**

**I will strive to differentiate between the two later on. It's just hard, as the Wave arc is so difficult to differentiate while coming up with an outcome that would be appropriate to the story. As the story progresses, be assured, I do have plans to make this story progress more fluidly and differently than Naruto, without having to jump the shark (I hope).**

**Criticize my work, if you would. Tell me what I am doing well on or not and I should have the next chapter up lickity-split!**

**Night!**


	7. Reishukaku

It was sometime later in the day that Urahara Kisuke opened his eyes to find himself lying on a futon in an unfamiliar location.

In a normal circumstance, being in a stranger's house, under the covers of a futon and feeling as if your body was being held down by weights _may_ have struck someone as being a strange occurrence.

But this was Urahara Kisuke. In contrast to previous experiences in his career, this was a picnic.

"Are you alright, Shinigami-san?"

Urahara turned his head to see a fairly attractive woman, possibly in her late twenties or early thirties, looking down at him with concern behind her dark hair.

"Nah. I'm good." Again, under a futon, stranger's house, paralyzed body – taking it in stride, Urahara style. "Just a little sore, is all. Should be back in business in a jiffy."

The woman nodded. "That's good. Your students have been quite worried since you passed out." The woman told him, as she walked to the edge of the room and opened a sliding door. "Your sensei is awake," she spoke out, "you may see him if you'd like."

"Thanks, Tsunami-san." Came a familiar voice, as Ichigo, followed by his two teammates, walked into the room.

The woman – Tsunami – bowed lightly to them. "I'll leave you alone, then." She turned and bowed to the weary Urahara. "And thank you for saving my father. I know I owe his life to you and your students. Please accept my deepest thanks." Tsunami, now recognized as the daughter Tazuna spoke of previously, gave a deeper bow to the man as the battle-weary Shinigami gave a nonchalant wave back.

The Gegami gathered around their sensei as Tsunami left the room to them. Sakura was the first to speak up. "I have to say, sensei, that was _really_ incredible what you did against Zabuza, but it seems to have put a lot of stress on your body." She shook her head. "I guess even Jogami have to be careful when using so much power, huh?"

Urahara smirked. "To be honest, that wasn't much of _anything_ I could do." The Gegami stared at him. "I haven't been in a good fight in a while now. I guess you could say I was a little out of practice." He chuckled lightly. "Guess I was too lax for my own good. Look where it got me."

Sasuke looked him over. "I hate to see you when you're serious in a fight."

Urahara closed his eyes. "Yeah, you would."

"Hey, Sandal-hat." Ichigo spoke up, catching everyone's attention. Since they'd walked into the house, with Urahara sprawled on his back, he'd been quiet as he waited for Kisuke to wake. "That guy, the one in the mask, who was that?" It had been bothering him for some time, even after their talk. He'd taken Zabuza down like it was nothing. And now, with Urahara out of commission, what was to stop him from coming for them?

He didn't like their odds, as it stood.

Urahara's memory faded back to the incident. "That guy is what is known as 'a Hunter of Kiri'." The title caught their attention. "Sometimes known as the Inferno Squad, the Hunters are as their name describes; hunters, in service to their Kage, who hunt down and eliminate rogue Shinigami who have abandoned their village. Leaving not even a trace of their victim.

"The reason behind this is due to a Shinigami's unique bodily characteristics. A skilled Shinigami can extract information from a corpse to gather information on another village or that exact individual. Very rarely, as seen in the case of particularly strong Shinigami, their Zanpakutō have even been known to accept whoever defeated their previous wielders as their new owners, thus granting them additional power and Reiryoku.

"Hmm, for example, should I have died, Konoha's secrets, along with my particular abilities, and possibly even Benihime, might have fallen into an enemy's hands." He gave them a moment to digest the information. "The practice of extracting crucial pieces of information from a body goes as far back as you can think of, during the times of the samurai or ninja, when Reiryoku arts weren't known. Hunters protect their village by destroying whatever remains of a Shinigami so that their carefully guarded secrets, and that of their village, do not end up in enemy hands." No sound, no smell. A Shinigami's death. No remains.

Sakura shivered at the information. "So Zabuza was destroyed by that guy? Scary!"

* * *

Alone and far away for any settlements or human populations, the masked Hunter placed the large body of Zabuza onto the ground, placing his equally large Zanpakutō beside him.

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out an assortment of tools from a rolled up scroll. Carefully, he took a pair of shears from the assortment and looked over the corpse.

"First, I'll need to cut the mouth cloth," he said to himself, "and drain some of the blood." He lowered the instrument carefully, hoping to make the procedure clean and without issue.

However, his work would not go as planned.

"_That's alright_," a hoarse growl emanated out from the corpse, as a pair of eyes opened, a hand reached out and took hold of the Hunter's arm and a twitch in the forehead emanated from the now very much alive, Momochi Zabuza, "_I'll do it __**myself**_!"

* * *

Urahara smiled to his female student. "But that's not the worst of it, I'm afraid."

Sakura, whose skin had already paled to the story of the Hunters, looked a good shade paler after hearing that. "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean that I have a _very_ bad feeling I might have done something stupid." He started to laugh even as his ominous words hit his wards.

Ichigo scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, for starters," Urahara sat up from the futon, "I guess I should point out the methods from which a Hunter eliminates a body."

"Do you have to, sensei?"

"Yes, now shush. Anyway, the thing a Hunter is meant to do after taking out a target is to eliminate it. I explained this, but the crucial fact is that, when a target is taken out, that body is disposed of _immediately_."

Sakura, despite not liking the sound of a Hunter's work, looked confused. "So what?"

Urahara shook his head. "Quiz time – how did the Hunter dispose of the body?"

Sakura looked blankly back to her sensei before shaking her head. "How should I know? The masked-hunter guy took the body with him."

"Ding-dong! Exactly! _But why_?" He looked at his students. "Why would he take the body with him? It's against regulations. If he wanted to have proof of his work to collect on the bounty, then he could have just taken the head or Zabuza's Zanpakutō." Urahara sighed with a 'oh well' smile on his face. "There's also the matter of the weapons he used to take Zabuza down with."

Sasuke remembered back to the attack. "Simple needles…" He paused, his mind thinking around the simple attack used to take down the infamous rogue for a moment, before his eyes widened. "No way…"

"Exactly." Urahara scratched the back of his head, as Ichigo and Sakura looked confusedly between them. "It's more than likely that Zabuza…"

* * *

The Hunter looked surprised as the corpse sprung back to life before his eyes, before his tense form softened considerably. "Oh. You're already back." His voice was calm and collected as usual, as Zabuza, the former corpse, sat up.

"Damn. You're always so _brutal_." His hand went to the needles in his throat. He felt the smooth medal for a brief second before giving them both a hard tug and pulling them out.

The masked figure looked at him, surprise evident behind his mask. "You're the one who's brutal, Zabuza-san. If you pull them out like that, you really might die."

Zabuza tossed the needles to the side. Growling, he felt the nerves in his neck already starting to regain their usual feeling, as his eyes twisted over to the Hunter. "How long are you going to wear that stupid mask?"

The figure gave a small laugh. "It reminds me of the old days," He whispered, as he reached up and slowly took the white mask from his face, "plus, it was useful for saving your life."

With the mask removed, Zabuza stared at the Hunter's face. Soft, smooth white features that held elegance that almost seemed feminine to the eye.

The Hunter smiled. "If I hadn't saved you, you would have been certainly killed by those Shinigami."

Zabuza, looking annoyed, spat out some blood from his mouth. "Putting me into a temporary death state is _fine_, but you didn't have to use my neck…you could have aimed for a safer acupuncture point." With the taste of blood at least dulled in his mouth, he moved the mouth wraps back over his face. "Cruel as usual. To an almost _annoying_ degree."

"It was the only sure way to make your death seem real." The Hunter paused before smiling. "And I wouldn't want to mark up your _flawless_ body. You'd complain about that even more."

"Sarcasm isn't your strongest suit." Zabuza growled, as he moved his feet around to stand, only to feel a wave of exhaustion and numbness overcome his senses.

"There's no point in trying." The Hunter told him. "You've taken to much damage. You'll be out for at _least_ a week." He smiled again. "Although, if you're as stubborn as usual, you'll probably be moving in _half_ the time." Zabuza, reluctantly, sat back down. He stared at his assistant.

"You are so pure and clever… you remind me of someone I used to know." He barked out a laugh. "I guess that's just what I like about you."

The boy gave a small laugh. "I'm just a kid, what else would you expect?" The Hunter, or fake Hunter, stood up from the ground and took in their surroundings. "The mist is clearing. We should move now." Zabuza grunted in reply. "Next time…will you be alright?"

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "Next time, I _will_ defeat _Red-Blood_..."

* * *

Sakura looked at Urahara with mouth agape. "WHA?!

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"Urahara-sensei, you checked his pulse! You said he was dead!"

Urahara nodded. "Yeah. I did check his pulse. However," he reflected back to the 'corpse' and how he found it, "it was more than likely that 'Hunter-san' simply put Zabuza's body into a state of temporary death. Like Juliet." His students didn't understand the reference. "The needles used by the Hunter are very accurate but rarely are effective enough to kill a moving or even stationary target. Rather, they're often used by doctors in acupuncture therapy.

"Hunters of all villages know about the bodily structure of a Shinigami and civilian down to a tee. Putting a person in a temporary state of dead is _child's play_ for them. These factors; the carrying of the body and the weapons with low killing capability seem to indicate the hunter's actual motive…

"He wanted to save Zabuza. Not kill him. We can't ignore that possibility."

Sakura swallowed a lump in her throat. "Hey, sensei, come on? Aren't you just overthinking this?" She laughed, despite it sounding unconfident and unsure, even to herself. "Hunters are supposed to kill rogue Shinigami, right?" Even her argument sounded poor to herself.

Urahara's eyes turned serious. "That is still a possibility. But my gut is telling me to prepare for what comes next. Plus, whether Zabuza is alive or not, I don't doubt Gatō will send more enemies our way to stop the bridge from being completed, and there aren't any assurances that he hasn't hired even _stronger_ Shinigami then Zabuza." Even unlikely as it might have been.

Sakura slumped on her spot on the floor. "Oh great."

"Hmph." Sasuke replied, but otherwise agreed. The situation was getting tense.

Ichigo's scowl softened in thought. "We're in trouble if we fight two of them next time." His eyes hardened as he looked over to Urahara. "We need a plan. You won't be able to fight for a while and we _barely_ survived out there. Neither of us have what it takes to fight Zabuza on our own." Ichigo's scowl returned. "What the hell are we gonna do?"

Urahara stared at him, surprised. "What do you mean, 'what are we gonna do'?" He caught the attention of his Gegami, as he raised himself up and looked at them all brightly. "What do you do when you face a something you aren't ready for?" He gave a light chuckle at their questionable looks.

"You _train_!"

That caught the Gegami's attention. While the three of them hadn't really done anything that could have otherwise been designated as 'training,' aside from activities that would strengthen their formations and teamwork abilities that they applied in their D-rank missions, doing actual 'training' on their individual abilities, such as their Zanjutsu, seemed to have been left up to them.

Sakura looked shocked at the claim. "Urahara-sensei, are you crazy?! What is a little training gonna do for us?!" Inwardly, she could already imagine Urahara giving them simple training then sending them off to attack Zabuza as one, essentially becoming 'cannon fodder.' "Our enemy is a Shinigami even _you_ struggled with! We can't handle someone like Zabuza-there's no way!"

Urahara shook his head. "That's some poor attitude you got there, Sakura-san." He glanced over to the boys. "Who was it that saved me while I was struggling in Zabuza's Kidō? You guys are growing stronger before my very eyes." He smiled a little brighter, as Sakura visibly brightened at the praise, Sasuke took it with a smirk and Ichigo took it in stride.

Urahara turned his head to look at the orange-haired boy in front of him for the briefest of moments. Though he wouldn't admit it, Ichigo surprised him that day in more ways than one.

He'd come up with a plan considering the circumstances, got the stubborn Uchiha to trust him enough to follow his limited instructions and managed to, not only free him, but also _cut_ into Zabuza's Reiryoku-hardened skin. A minor cut, to be sure, but a cut that a month ago, Ichigo would have never had been capable of achieving with his flimsy Zanpakutō.

Heck, Urahara wasn't even sure if his attack would have worked even if he'd trained with that sword for a _year_. But it had, and Urahara held no small level of astonishment at the success. Especially when you considered it came from a _sealed_ Zanpakutō. He was fairly certain Sakura and Sasuke's Zanpakutō, who'd been partnered with them for two years, at least, inside the academy, wouldn't have been able to achieve what Ichigo had.

Urahara considered the past month for a brief moment. Urahara would admit to himself that, even with only having his Shinigami powers for little over a month, Ichigo's progress was _remarkable_. Even if it didn't show to the average individual, it wasn't like any other Shinigami initiate who'd just received their Zanpakutō showed even a _tenth_ of the Reiryoku or natural ability with a Zanpakutō that was rolling off Ichigo. Though the boy still showed no aptitude with Kidō and had yet to show any attempts at Shunpo, his Zanjutsu and physical capabilities were growing _exponentially_.

At first, when Urahara met Ichigo at the academy, he admittedly felt the boy's Reiryoku even before he even saw the building. The boy was letting it off like a valve of water - constantly pouring out with no end in sight. And while most Shinigami lacked the overall ability to sense Reiryoku (with only a select few showing a talent for Reiryoku sensing, in general) to Urahara, the boy was like a lighthouse in a storm - you just always managed to see him and his beacon of Reiryoku, even from a distance.

He wondered how long the Reiryoku flow would last. Having never seen something so aggressive, he'd figured it was just suppressed Reiryoku that was bubbling up after so many years of dormancy. Urahara assumed, having considered the strange circumstances of his receiving Shinigami abilities, that eventually the boy would gradually retain some control of his Reiryoku and not let it continue to let it flow out of him so regularly.

He'd been wrong. The Reiryoku was still going, maybe even faster than it had a month ago.

He wasn't sure what to make of this.

The boy surprised him, though Urahara would never openly admit it. "Now, obviously, I'm only going to give you some training until I'm ready to be on my own two feet again. I _doubt_ Zabuza will underestimate you three like last time.

"Though we have luck on our side. With all that happened to him, including that risky move Hunter-san did on him, I'd estimate we're gonna have a little time on our hands before Zabuza is back to full strength. Until then, you three will train until I think you're ready to stand against him."

There was a pause as his students took in his words, each wondering what sort of training Urahara had in mind, as a short knock was heard from the door. Opening the door quickly, a very happy looking Tazuna, beside a bemused Tsunami, walked into the room. The team of Shinigami looked at them both before noticing the little figure in Tazuna's arms. "Hey! Urahara-sensei! Great to see you awake and moving!"

Urahara smiled, rubbing a hand through his sandy hair. "Well, not quite moving yet, but feeling better, that's for sure."

Tazuna, however, just laughed. "Still, that's great to hear!" He then hefted the small figure in his hands a little higher. "But enough small talk! I wanted to introduce you to this super little guy right here!" He smiled down to the figure, now obviously a small boy, in his hands. "Inari! Say hello to the nice Shinigami that risked their lives to save me!"

The boy – Inari – was a small boy, having black spiky hair and dark-colored eyes. He wore a green jumpsuit over a yellow shirt, along with a pair of regular blue sandals. On his head, Ichigo couldn't help but notice the blue and white striped he wore that he could have sworn was a smaller, black-haired generic clone of his sensei's. He couldn't have been much older than seven or eight, by the looks of it.

The boy looked over to the Shinigami as his grandfather placed him on the ground. He stared at them. "You are all going to die."

The Shinigami blinked at him. "Eh?"

The boy lowered his head, his hat covering his eyes. "There's no way you can win against Gatō…"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what makes you say that?"

"Gatō owns everything. Everyone knows that. He can't be beat. You're an idiot if you think otherwise."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed further. Idiot huh? Ichigo's face scrunched up at the thought, his hand twitching into a fist, before remembering he was just a kid. Kids are stupid. So... "Well, we won't know until-"

"'Until we've tried', right?" Inari's eyes took a look that could almost be described as disgust. "Who do you think you are? Trying to use such a _lame_ line like that. Who do you think you are, some kinda hero?"

A visible twitch began to form over the Shinigami's forehead. "Well, I wouldn't say _that-"_

"Wow, you really _do_ think you're a hero, huh? Man, you really _are_ stupid."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed dangerously, as his forehead began to twitch violently. "_Stupid, huh_?"

"Ichigo, we can't hurt the client's _family_, either."

"Well then who can I hurt?!"

Inari rolled his eyes as he turned to the door. "If you don't want to die, you should leave while you can." He turned to his mother and grandfather. "I'm gonna go look at the ocean from my room." His voice was almost melancholy, even if his message of 'I want to be alone' was clear, as he closed the door behind him and walked out.

If anything, his emotionless expression just irritated Ichigo further, as Tazuna shook his head and offered them an apology. But Ichigo wasn't one to just let some brat talk that way, as he similarly walked out of the room, ignoring Sakura's yells to not do anything stupid.

He cracked his knuckles on the stairwell heading to the second floor of the house. "We'll see who's the stupid one after I'm finished with him! After I'm done with that brat, he'll be _begging_ me to teach him some real manners-" His voice stopped, as he reached the top of the stairwell and looked down the hall.

His eyes blinked, as he stared at a tall, quiet figure standing beside a door to one of the many rooms adjourning the second floor.

Ichigo recognized the man. Or, at least, what he was.

Ichigo's expression lost its aggressiveness but not its scowl, as he walked over to the door that the man was silently leaning besides, a rather solemn expression on his face, as Ichigo listened into the room quietly.

He heard crying.

* * *

Sitting on top of a desk in his room, with the windows open looking out onto the ocean, a crouching Inari cried over a photo of a man. Drips of salty water fell onto the photo, even as his face moistened with tears.

"Daddy…"

* * *

Outside Inari's bedroom, Ichigo listened to the boy. His aggressive features, and even his scowl, were replaced with a similar solemn expression to the man beside him.

He moved his head away from the door and looked up to the man for a moment. He glanced back.

There was no silent exchange of words, no indication that Ichigo had anything on his mind. He just turned around after a long moment and went back down stairs. The man just continued to stand beside the door, listening in, quietly.

* * *

Ichigo went back down to his sensei's room, sitting quietly beside his team, even as Sakura threatened to beat him if he even touched a hair on Inari's head.

Ichigo sat quietly for a moment before raising his head to Urahara. "So, Sandal-hat. I got a question."

"Hmm? What?"

"What sort of training did you have in mind for us?"

Urahara's eyes widened, as a bright smile fell over his features. "Oh! I'm so glad you asked! Well, I'll tell ya, it's a special training that trains you in a number of unique and powerful ways that will make you stronger both physically and spiritually with your Shinigami powers!"

That caught his attention. "Really? What?"

He smiled brightly. "We're gonna play with balls!"

* * *

The team walked slowly away from the house as they traversed the woods surrounding Tazuna's house. They stopped aways into the woodland - far enough that the average civilian wouldn't see them, along with being outside of Tazuna's houses range in case of, well, _collateral_, while also being close enough that, if Urahara sensed something amiss, they could make it back in no time.

Urahara, once again wearing his trademark hat, stopped the team in the small clearing of the woods, as he leaned on his cane and smiled over to them. "Well, I'd say this is as good a spot as any!" He shouted to them, as their attention focused on him. "Now, you three are probably wondering, 'why oh why has sensei taken us so far out from Tazuna's home'-"

"Not really."

"Nope."

"Kinda gotten used to your weirdness, by now."

Urahara sweat-dropped. "Well, uh, ahem. Well, at the very least, you should all know that the training I'm giving you is tough and potentially harmful to those around you, per the reason why we are doing this away from others." His free hand shuffled into his green jacket. "The training I employ was developed by our Nidaime Hokage in the use of training and perfecting Reiryoku control in younger members of the Shinigami. Originally, we had training routines that revolved around 'climbing trees without using our hands' or 'walking on water.'" He smiled as his hand stopped shuffling through his coat. "But we won't be doing something as _mundane_ and _boring_ as that! Instead," he pulled out his hand, "we'll be using one of _these_."

The Gegami stared at Urahara, as he pulled out a large, crystal-like orb from his pocket. Ichigo blinked at it, as he looked it over. Aside from the funny looking emblem that resembled an hourglass on it, there didn't appear to be anything unique about it. "What is it?"

"_These_ are called Reishūkaku." Urahara explained as he held up the glass orb in his hands, not even bothered that something as large as the 'Reishūkaku,' as he called it, could not possibly fit into his coat pocket. "They're special Reiryoku-orbs, used to help a Shinigami grasp the basics of Reiryoku control." He held the orb out to his students. "By focusing your Reiryoku, you can do _this."_

His student's eyes stared in slight awe as the glass orb began to glow in his palm. Then, as the glass orb grew brighter, a small area around the orb began to expand outward. Quickly covering his arms, his torso and moved past his body, the aura of the sphere seemed to condense as it expanded into a perfect sphere around the man.

Ichigo didn't hesitate to walk over to the aura shell and tap it with the back of his hand. "Huh. Tough."

Urahara smiled from within. "Exactly. The orb condenses one's energy into an aura that expands around its user, creating a relatively thick barrier around them." Urahara held the barrier up for a moment longer, before letting his Reiryoku slip away from the orb, the aura around himself disappearing, as well. "For the next few days, you'll be learning how to use this orb to create perfect spheres, like mine. In this way, you'll be able to use Kidō and use your Reiryoku, as a result."

Sakura blinked at him. "Wait, hold on a second, sensei. What do you mean 'use our Reiryoku?' We already know how to use it. It's how we use our Kidō."

Sasuke even nodded. "How will this do us any good if it's something we already know how to do?"

Ichigo, however, looked dejectedly at his companions, mumbling. "Speak for yourself..."

"Ah, yes. Your 'academy Reiryoku-training.' Yeah, those methods suck." He laughed at Sakura's surprised expression. "I'm not kidding. Your technique and ability to control your own Reiryoku and perform Kidō is _laughable_. But here," he tossed the Reishūkaku to Sakura, who caught it, surprised, "if you can make a sphere as hard and as large as mine, I'll move past this training and teach you something even _better_ then this." Incentive never hurt anyone.

Sakura blinked at her sensei before glancing down to the orb. "How hard can it be?" She asked herself, as her focus went into the sphere, remembering her training at the academy.

She reminded herself of her accomplishments. Of her talent with Kidō. She'd been praised as one of the best students in the academy for her understanding of Kidō and Reiryoku concept and knowledge. And now, in front of Sasuke, Urahara, and even Ichigo, she was going to prove her skill.

Her focus went into the orb, her heart pounding as it lit up. She could feel the sphere's energy already beginning to expand out from the orb. She smirked, as she willed it to bypass the crystal confines of the orb and surround her.

The sphere's energy did as she command. And then she realized how _wrong_ she really was.

Almost immediately, a wave of fatigue hit her as the orb continued to tug on her Reiryoku. But the tug felt worse than anything she'd ever felt when using Kidō. Now, it felt like her innards were being sucked into the orb along with her Reiryoku.

Beads of sweat began to fall from her brow. Then another. Her eyes tensed and she grit her teeth. Her hands began to wobble around the orb as she attempted to stabilize herself and the energy that attempted to expand further away from the Reishūkaku.

The solid aura of the sphere never even made it past her arms.

Urahara smiled to himself, as he walked over to the struggling Sakura, who didn't even realize he was in her vicinity until he lifted a single finger up and gently nudged the blue energy around her sphere. It cracked like glass, breaking apart into the air as Urahara's finger passed through it with barely any resistance.

Sakura felt herself drop, the orb falling from her hands as her knees gave out from under her. She panted like she'd ran around Konoha, _twice_. "Th-that's impossible, sensei." She huffed out, as Urahara gave a small laugh at her expense. He reached down and retrieved his Reiryoku-orb.

"As I told you, the academy does it all wrong. Not only does it take Reiryoku energy to make the orb expand out, it also requires the physical ability, as well. Only when those two are working together will you achieve proper control."

Sasuke frowned. "But channeling Reiryoku only requires mental ability to control-"

"But if you don't have the physical capabilities," Urahara interrupted, "you won't succeed in controlling the higher level Reiryoku tasks." He instructed the Uchiha, who frowned but otherwise understood. "With further control, you'll even be able to channel your Reiryoku into your Zanpakutō, turning those butter knives into some _real_ weapons." Sasuke liked the sound of that.

Ichigo, who'd only watched as his sensei tortured the poor girl in front of him, walked over and took the orb from his sensei's hands. He looked it over, tapping it with the back of his hands, before squeezing it tightly with both arms. He concentrated on it; held it as tightly as he could; shifted it in his hands to possibly find a better way to hold to circular object. He got no results.

"Can anyone actually show me how to use my Reiryoku?"

Urahara stared at him. "Come again?" He stared at Ichigo. "Right. Forgot. No talent." He sighed, despite Ichigo's yell of 'what?!' "Well, let me get the rest of them started before I show you some moves, hmm?" Urahara replied back, ignoring Ichigo's growling as he, somehow, pulled two more of the crystal balls from his coat pocket. Placing one Sasuke's arms and another on the ground by the still weary Sakura, Urahara turned to the three Shinigami-in-training and smiled. "Let's get started then!"

* * *

There was one thing that Urahara Kisuke forgot to mention before starting this little exercise. While this method was more refined and held better results than some of the older, more conventional methods devised in the older days of the Shinigami society in harnessing and strengthening one's Reiryoku (he mentioned some of the more peculiar methods, such as shutting down several senses of the body for a lengthy amount of time to strengthen one's spiritual abilities), he also mentioned that it would be just as difficult.

The reason why, however, was quickly found out by the Uchiha prodigy in fact.

For you see, it is the method for harnessing and controlling one's Reiryoku into the orb that is most fascinating. One requires a calm, stable mind to use their Reiryoku (a reason why Sakura failed, initially, was because of her own anxieties of being put on the spot so sudden by Urahara). Alongside it, with the Reishūkaku, a well-balanced and controlled level of Reiryoku must be applied continuously.

However, one must also be aware of the energy put in. Too little, and the orb's aura will cease to expand any further. Too much at once can...well...

Boom. The aura would implode on itself, causing a backlash of energy to attack the individual. Damage was variable, from a light push to a full on crash into a nearby tree.

Sasuke, at the beginning, got the latter.

In the case of Sakura, despite her talent in Reiryoku control, she lacked the necessary energy to continually supply Reiryoku to her Reishūkaku. Even after several hours, her aura sphere, despite being the widest and furthest along of the three Gegami, still left her exhausted from attempting it even more than once or twice, never reaching past her torso before causing her to release her Reiryoku from the orb.

Then there were the examples of individuals who attempted to use the orb, who lacked a decent capability of controlling their Reiryoku, all around.

This example pertained to Ichigo.

* * *

The sun was starting to dawn over the horizon of Nami no Kazi, as the three Gegami continued to stare into their orbs intently, each orb giving off a bright, blue light from within.

Sakura's forehead sweated profusely as her sphere's energy began to expand outward, slowly. Sasuke, looking similarly, struggled to keep the orb from imploding once more. And Ichigo...well...

His glowed.

That's it.

"Oh, no, wait." Urahara shouted out, sitting idly around his students, as he continued to watch, with amusement, Ichigo's attempt at the orb. "I _might_ have seen a flicker, there."

"SHUT UP!" Ichigo yelled, still packing in as much Reiryoku as he could, his face showing evident strain and exhaustion like the others. Amazingly, though, even after the several hours out in the forest, Ichigo was the only one of his team to not take a break, despite his lack of success. Either due to stubbornness or amazing levels of stamina, none of them were sure how he kept standing.

But at this point, he was losing his patience.

"Eh, you're probably right. _Probably_ just a flicker of the sun, messing with my eyes for a sec-OOF!" Urahara felt the hard press of a tough crystal ball smack him squarely in the face, as Ichigo's face grew red in embarrassment and rage.

"I SAID SHUT UP! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO THIS?!" Urahara's 'helpful' advice on Reiryoku control had been of limited success.

Obviously, one could only get so much from 'just do it.'

"Ow." Urahara groaned, rubbing his sore nose as he held the orb in front of him protectively from the irate orange. "Maybe it's time we called it a day and get some dinner." He suggested, hoping to avoid any more bodily harm to himself, as he glanced at his other two students. "Sound good to you guys?"

His remaining two students turned their heads to stare at their lounging sensei. Sakura's face visibly brightened at the prospect of calling it a day. "That sounds _amazing_ sensei!"

Sasuke, panting with orb in hand, gave a curt nod. Food _did_ sound good, right now.

Urahara turned back to Ichigo, who's face had returned back to its regular scowl. "Well?"

Ichigo stared at him for a moment, before calmly walking to his downed form. Urahara gave a panicked 'eep' before holding the Reishūkaku up to his protectively. Instead of the well-deserved thrashing he'd been expecting, however, Ichigo simply reached down and plucked the crystal orb from his hands and walked back to his position in the woods.

"Never mind about me." Ichigo called out to them, his back turned, but his voice showing a level of strain. "You guys go on, I'll catch up later." His teammates stared at him for a moment, unsure of what move to make. They _did_ go through that 'survival training' together, after all. It wouldn't have felt right-

"You guys go on ahead." Urahara's voice spoke up, as he stood up from his spot on the ground. His voice was serious again. "I'll catch up in a minute, don't you worry." The two Gegami stared at their sensei for a moment, unsure of what to make of his order, before hesitantly carrying their Reishūkaku out of the forested area and back towards Tazuna's house.

Ichigo waited until he couldn't hear either Sakura or Sasuke's footsteps, before concentrating on the orb again. He let out a strained groan as the orb lit up in his palms. The air shifted around him, his dark kimono flapping around, and he felt the Reiryoku inside of him. No aura, but he continued to press on.

This lasted for a good fifteen seconds, before the wind stopped and the glow of the orb died. It fell from the boy's hands, clattering to the ground as he held himself up by his hands to his knees. He panted heavily. "Damn it..."

Urahara, who'd calmly watched from beside him, walked over to the downed orb and lifted it into his hand. With a flick of the wrist, he twirled it expertly on his finger. "Why did you want to become a Shinigami, Ichigo?" He asked him, offhandedly. "Is it the missions, the power, the prestige? The sense of danger or the rank in the village." The orb continued to spin until he caught it back in his palm. "Do you even know why you want to make this Reishūkaku glow?"

Ichigo, still panting, looked up to his sensei. "No. It's not for any of those reasons." Urahara looked at him.

"So you have a reason?"

"Of course I do!"

"But do you know what it is?" He waited, but Ichigo never answered. "Sheer resolve to accomplish a task means nothing if you don't remember the reason why you wanted to accomplish them in the first place." His eyes fixed a hard stare into the youth's. "Remember why you wanted to become a Shinigami. It'll help." He looked around the area for a moment, staring up at the dimming lights above, before giving off a low sigh. "But," Urahara scratched the back of his head, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you a small nudge in the right direction, here."

Ichigo looked over to him with a 'drop-dead' expression. "I don't need your pity."

"Hey now. That's not very nice." Urahara grumbled, as he looked over to the boy and the orb. He smiled. "Well then, I don't suppose you'll mind if I do a little practicing myself, then." He raised his freehand up, concentrating into the Reishūkaku held loosely in his grasp, as Ichigo blinked.

"Hey wait a sec!" He shouted, jumping at Urahara. "Give that back!" Urahara laughed as he held his cane up at the boy, using the butt of it to push against the boy's head.

"Ah ah ah! Just one second, Ichigo-kun. I'll give it right back after I'm finished, I promise." He said with a push of his cane, as the adolescent fell back onto his rear. He grumbled for a moment, before looking up to his smirking teacher. "Now, since you _obviously_ don't want my help, I'm gonna have to ask you to cover your ears as I walk right hear and practice my _secret_ technique alone, okay?"

Urahara walked a little ways off from the boy, who watched him carefully, as he held the orb in his hand out. "First, picture a circle in your mind," he whispered, "I make that circle as thick and as dense as I can and hold it. Fill it in with a dark color. Then," the orb in hand began to glow, "I imagine myself jumping into it, hands first." The orb erupted into a firm aura sphere around him.

Ichigo stared at him. "That," Urahara spoke up, "is the basics of all Reiryoku control, right down to every technique developed by Shinigami." The sphere of blue energy dissipated around him. He turned and smiled back to Ichigo. "It's so easy, I don't even have to think about. Even a _hopeless student_ could figure it out." He turned around and began to walk back to Tazuna's house, but not before tossing the ball-shaped Reiryoku device back to Ichigo. "On second thought, I change my mind. I think I'll practice later. I'm starving!" He smiled to himself as he exited the clearing, leaving Ichigo alone with his device in hand. Ichigo watched him leave, listening to his footsteps disappear from hearing range, before scowling.

"Lame." He muttered. "He's such a bad actor. Idiot..." He looked down to the crystal ball in his hands. Taking a wide stance again, he placed both of his hands on the edge of it and closed his eyes.

"Picture a circle...in my mind."

* * *

"Oh! This looks delicious, Tsunami-san!" Urahara yelled excitedly, as he made it back to the house to find a small table full of prepared food waiting for him. Sasuke and Sakura were already sitting around the table, filling their plates after a quick prayer, with Tazuna and Tsunami sitting opposite of them. Inari was missing.

"Oh thank you, sensei." Tsunami replied back, happy for the praise, as Urahara sat quietly beside his students. He took in a big breath of the food.

"Delicious! Absolutely wonderful!" Sakura looked over to him, pausing over her fish, as she looked around her sensei.

"Hey sensei, where's Ichigo?" Urahara filled up his plate, shaking his head.

"No idea. But he should be back soon." He smiled as he picked up a pair of chopsticks and broke them apart. "Itadakimasu!" He shouted, as he went for a bit of rice, raising the pair of chopsticks to his mouth hungrily.

Then the ground began to shake. The rice in between his chopsticks plopping off back to his plate.

The occupants in the room looked around surprised, as they felt the tremor all around them. Pictures shook on the walls, dust was unsettled and their plates began to rattle. Sakura began twisting and turning her head in every direction.

"Ah! What's going on?! Is it an earthquake?! Are we under attack?! Is it Zabuza?!" Every possible bad thing that might or could occur at the moment flew through her head, as Urahara sat calmly in his place.

"It's Ichigo." He muttered, mostly to himself, as the Gegami and household members turned their heads to look down at him. His Gegami's faces showed the most surprise.

"What do you mean this is Ichigo?!" Sakura cried out. There was no way - absolutely no way - that this could be Ichigo! But then she stared out of the house. She could see it, the faint, bluish glow in the distance, along with a distinguishing pulse she could feel all the way from the house.

It wasn't possible, but she knew Urahara was right.

Sasuke's head shot a sharp look outside of the house, seeing the dim light through the trees, as Urahara stood up from his spot on the floor with a grumble. His mood seemed to turn south. "What has that guy got himself into?" He wondered to himself, as he made his way to the front door. "Well, guess we better see what's going on." He walked out the door before disappearing in a flash of almost nothingness, as the two Gegami stared at where he was a moment ago.

Hesitating for only a moment, Sasuke pushed himself forward towards the door of the trembling house and gave pursuit to his sensei.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Wait, Sasuke-kun! Wait for me!" She quickly followed suit, leaving Tazuna and Tsunami to panic over the numerous items in their house threatening to fall and break around them.

* * *

"Ichigo, Ichigo, Ichigo." Urahara murmured to himself. "Just what are you doing?" He stood before the clearing where he left Ichigo, as a torrent of wind swept through the area around him, kicking up branches and leaves around him. He placed his hand on his hat to prevent it from flying off.

At the center of the clearing, a bright, vibrant light illuminated the area. It was damn near blinding to look at, for starters, and Urahara feared what might happen if it continued like this.

He turned his head around, as he felt two familiar figures appear beside him. "I was wondering when you two would show up."

"Urahara-sensei! What's going on?!" Sakura asked frantically, holding her arms to her face to protect herself from the wind and light. "How could this possibly be Ichigo?!"

Sasuke grunted as he tried to look into the light of the room. His eyes took a minute to adapt to the near-blinding light in front of him, but then he saw it and his eyes bulged.

A large, translucent orb of energy, easily as large as Tazuna's house, held itself in the air in front of them. The shear energy was undeniable, but it wasn't the most astounding thing about it.

It took his eyes a second to make it out, but then he saw it; there, right in the middle of the orb, _floating_ in the air, was Ichigo, holding the Reishūkaku in between his arms. Sasuke's eyes widened. "How? How is he doing that?" It didn't seem possible. They'd been gone for not even ten minutes. How did Ichigo, who could barely manage to make his orb glow to begin with, create something like _that_.

"I didn't expect this to happen." Urahara muttered, catching his student's attention. "I just gave him a hint my sensei gave me. I didn't realize he'd take to it so..." He let his words drop, as he stepped forward towards the floating boy and the sphere of energy. He gave a small tap to the sphere. "Tough nut to crack." He muttered, as he looked over to the floating boy. "Yo! Ichigo!" Urahara shouted cheerfully, his mood turning another 180, as Ichigo, straining, turned his head around towards the group. "I'd suggest you focus your energy soon or else!"

Ichigo looked over to his sensei for a moment, nodded, before looking back to the Reishūkaku. He narrowed his eyes.

Whatever the boy did, it seemed to work. In no time, the roar of energy and wind seemed to calm down, as the sphere of energy quickly compressed itself down, encircling the boy in a similar manner as it had to Urahara. Urahara smirked at his success as Sakura and Sasuke stood open-mouthed behind him.

He'd done it.

"I...I did it." Ichigo muttered to himself, his face breaking into a bright smile. "I totally did it!" He laughed at his success, turning his body around in the orb as he looked to his team. "Did you see that! It totally worked!"

_Fizz_.

Urahara smiled as he took a step back. "Oh Ichigo!" He shook his head. "What did I tell you about concentration?"

Ichigo blinked. "Huh?" His sphere began to crack.

BOOM!

* * *

"You know, Ichigo-kun, you would think after how many times this happened to Sasuke-kun, you would have learned better." Urahara smiled to himself, prodding Ichigo's prone, downed form in the head with his cane, as the boy groaned quietly. "And I was so sure I mentioned that that the Reishūkaku would explode if you lost focus, didn't I?" Ichigo groaned.

"Y-yeah, you did..." He could have sworn his kimono was smoking from the blast.

"And do you see what happens when you don't listen to sensei?" He was enjoying this. Immensely.

"Y-yeah..."

Sakura and Sasuke were still staring at the two of them from a distance. Urahara had graciously shielded them both from the oncoming implosion from Ichigo's screw-up. "That was...amazing." Sakura couldn't believe she was admitting it herself, but it was. Ichigo made a perfect sphere, despite his mistake at the end.

Sasuke stared at the injured Ichigo. "How did he do it?"

"I-I'm not sure." Sakura whispered, as Urahara threw one of Ichigo's arms over his shoulder and lifted him up, laughing.

"Why is it the injured Jogami the one who has to carry the injured Gegami, hmm?" Ichigo said some unintelligible words in response. "Ah well, what can you do?" The Jogami said to himself, as he carried the boy silently towards Tazuna's house, smiling, despite himself, at Ichigo's success (and blunder).

Sakura and Sasuke, after a brief pause, walked cautiously behind them, as if expecting Ichigo to suddenly explode, once more, around them. They both had the same idea in mind.

Ichigo would _definitely_ have to tell them his secret.

* * *

A ways off from the clearing, unbeknownst to all, Inari stood quietly, hiding behind one of the trees. He eyes watched the situation with an expressionless face, before turning around and returning to the house.

They were fools, in his mind. It didn't matter what they did. Gatō would win. They were just fighting against the inevitable.

* * *

In Zabuza's metal fortress several miles away from Nami no Kuni, Zabuza laid quietly in his equally large bed, quietly sleeping as his attentive assistant sat beside him. The boy's attention never left him, as he watched for any unusual jittering or movements that might have been due to Urahara (or his own) attack. If there was anything to say about the Hunter, it was that he was _focused_ on a task.

It was roughly in the darkest part of the night that the door to the Demon's bedroom opened with a creek, catching the boy's attention, as he turned in his seat beside the bed to glance over.

Two men walked in stood quietly to the side. They were interesting in appearance, but each held a katana at their sides. Looking them over, the Hunter assumed, based solely on their Reiryoku levels, that they were not Shinigami, but simple hired goons.

Which meant he knew what came next.

Walking into the bedroom, guards standing to his sides, Gatō stood smirking at the door way, looking between them.

"So," he spoke up, "even you have come back defeated." His voice was mocking as he stared at sleeping rogue. "It looks like Kiri ninja aren't all their cracked up to be." He laughed to himself, making his way towards the bed, his guards following beside. "You couldn't even avenge your partner? Heh. The Demon Brother must be shaking in some ditch out there."

Zabuza's eyes opened. He didn't move or make any acknowledgment that he heard the man, but his mention of the 'Demon Brother' seemed to be his wake up trigger. Gatō's guards tensed, reaching for their swords, merely at Zabuza's attentiveness.

The Hunter's eyes narrowed.

"Well, aren't you gonna say somethin'?" Gatō asked, walking over beside the bed, looking down at the unresponsive, unflinching face of Zabuza. He smirked, reaching his hand towards the wraps on his face. "There's no reason to be quiet. How about you and I-"

His arm got no further towards Zabuza's face. With a start, he turned to see the Hunter's face, which usually held an expression of indifference, now shot absolute _death_ on the short man in front of him.

"_Don't you touch Zabuza-san with those dirty hands_." His voice etched a coldness that was both familiar, but seemed sharper and on edge. He squeezed the business man's arm tightly, getting a yelp from the man as he felt something in his arm _snap_.

"Gah!" His guards looked on in surprise, each reaching for their sword and giving a hard tug to release their swords from their sheaths. They were surprised, however, when they didn't even budge. Both swordsmen looked down to their sheaths. They gave it a few more tugs. Their swords felt cold, even from the handles. They wouldn't budge.

"The frost," a voice spoke up between the two, "it sometimes makes the blade _stick_." The two guards' eyes widened, as they looked to the owner of the voice, only to see the young Hunter standing between them. That wasn't the most unnerving thing, however, as the two felt a sharp, cold objects being pressed underneath their chins. Without moving their heads, their eyes fell to their throats.

In the hands of the Hunter, two metallic, smooth knives held closely to their individual _throats_. It happened so fast, not even Gatō realized the boy was gone before the pain in his arm dimmed slightly.

"_Leave_." The boy's eyes turned to Gatō, who already had a bead of sweat falling from his brow from the sheer tension of the room. "_Now._" He was angry now. Gatō knew he had no choice, but he had to save face. If anyone felt he was losing control of the situation…

"One more time! If you fail one more time," he backed away from Zabuza and scooted around the Hunter's position, "you won't get a single ryō from me!" His face was twisted in fear and anger, as he turned and quickly exited the room, his guards following quickly behind.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed, as Haku turned away from the fleeing business man and sat beside him, once more. "Haku," Zabuza's voice spoke up, hoarse and scratchy, as usual, "I could have handled that…" Below the sheets, he held a plain knife to his hands. Even without his Zanpakutō on his person, a wise man would never underestimate, even an injured, Shinigami.

The Hunter – Haku – smiled. "I know." He admitted. "But it's too early to kill Gatō. If we cause a commotion here, Kiri will find us again." He smiled innocently. "We don't have enough money to return home yet. We must be patient."

Zabuza looked over to his ward. Haku's innocent, relaxing expression having a desired effect on Zabuza. Taking a deep breath, the Demon of Kirigakure closed his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you're right."

His thoughts quickly dimmed, as he dreamed of how this entire crazy mess began with Gatō…


	8. The Heir and the Rat

**Quite possibly my most difficult chapter to write yet. **

**Dear lord, was this a bugger or what?**

* * *

**Nineteen years ago.**

* * *

In a secluded part of one of the many forested areas of Kirigakure, a young boy ran, sweating and panting as his short legs sprinted across the grass and past the trees. He kept glancing back as his eyes searched for his pursuer, all the while dodging low-lying branches and tree roots as he went through the thick mist of the forest.

The young boy wore rags for clothes that looked like they'd been stitched from trash bags and other unmentionables several times over. In his hands, a decent sized pouch, filled with coins, rattled as he ran.

This boy had made a mistake. He shouldn't have done that. He grew risky (and hungry) and when he saw the heavy pouch, he ran for it. It was supposed to be an easy pick and run.

He'd been caught. And instead of being scared, his pursuer seemed to enjoy the attempt on his cash. He let him go and told him to run.

And so he did. Watching his footsteps, listening to any sound, and trying to keep ahead of what he knew was pursuing him. He could feel the eyes on him. He didn't want to think of them. They weren't natural.

But the boy made a mistake. His thoughts were so fixed on how to evade and escape his pursuer, he didn't even see the leg planted out in front of him before he felt his legs slip up and his body fall to the ground.

He heard laughter. It wasn't a pleasant sound.

"Gotcha!"

The boy twisted on the ground, trying to scramble back to his feet, before he felt a hard, sandaled foot plant itself on to his back, pressing him down. He heard chuckling. "Whoa whoa whoa! Where do you think you're going, _buddy_?"

The running, grounded boy twisted his head to look above. It was him. The boy. The one he'd tried to pickpocket. The boy who was supposed to be a noble - spoiled and stupid, if going off only his clothes. Someone who would sooner run from a street urchin like him than give pursuit for a small bit of pocket change.

Not the Shinigami-in-training he claimed to be.

The older boy – the self-claimed 'Shinigami-in-training' – cackled, enjoying the urchin's panic. "Ah ah ah! No **crying**!" The older boy reared his leg back from the small boy's spine and brought it around to smack the boy in his side.

"Oof!"

"What's wrong, buddy?" He kicked him again "Did you _really think_ you could _steal_ from _me_ and _not_ get _caught_?" He reared his leg back and threw it forward several times with each emphasized word.

"Oof!"

"Did you _think_ that a Shinigami like _me_ could be stolen from by someone like _you_?" Another kick. Then another. And another. He was cackling in absolute _glee_ as the smaller boy's side started to redden from his kicks. Internal bleeding, perhaps? Broken rib? Both? "Oh, you don't look so good there." He feigned concern. "Buddy? You okay?"

The smaller boy coughed, his hands grabbing onto the grass while trying to drag himself away from the boy, the money he'd taken all but forgotten to his side. He didn't get far.

"Ah ah ah!" Another kick to the side.

"AHH!"

"Did I say you could move?" The older boy looked down to the street urchin, looking like a boy who'd gotten a puppy as he looked absolutely pleased with his 'new buddy's' pain. "Dad was right. This _is_ fun!" He giggled as he took a knee beside the boy's head and took a firm hold of long, unruly black hair.

"AHHHHH!" Tears were coming from the boy's eyes. He cracked one open to see an absolutely peaceful expression on the boy.

"Fun fun fun." Something wasn't right about the boy, as he shook his head, letting go of the boy's hair so as to let the rest of him fall to the ground with a thud.

The younger boy heard rustling as the older boy stood up from the ground, stepping over to the stolen pouch. The grounded boy kept a tear filled eye open, watching the Shinigami trainee.

Was it over? Would the boy just take his cash and leave? What more could he do to him?

Those thoughts in mind gave the boy hope. Despite losing what he'd suffered so much for, he was happy. The boy stopped and looked ready to leave. He saw the boy look at the contents in the pouch, humming a tune as he did, before smiling to himself and tying it back to his side.

He would leave now. Over all the pain and the hurt, the little thief smiled. He would leave.

But, like his life in general, it didn't pan out like he hoped it would.

The older boy, still humming his tune, knelt down beside the smaller boy's head, smiling pleasantly. The younger boy's eyes widened. "Do you know the law of Kirigakure?" He asked the pickpocket. "You see, Mizukage-sama has a _very_ interesting set of laws about people like you." The Shinigami-in-training's hand went into his kimono's pocket. "You see, one of these laws state that, if I were to catch the thief that steals from me," his eyes brightened, as his hand clasped on something, "then the thief would become my property!"

The boy, who barely knew who the Mizukage was to begin with, didn't understand a word the older boy said. Instead, his eyes focused on the older boy's arm as he pulled out a kitchen knife.

"But you see, my dad has enough servants, to be honest." He smiled, as he checked his reflection in metal shine of the knife. "But, I still like the idea of _owning_ something, even if I don't need it." He smiled down to the boy, whose panic was now very plain to see. "Now, I've _seen_ how people treat their property when it does something completely, utterly, _stupid_." He reached for the boy's ragging-for-clothes, grabbing a hold on the boy's shirt collar as he hefted the smaller individual up, placing his knife just under the boy's chin. "You. _You_ are my property, _buddy_." He smiled between his knife and the hyperventilating boy. "And you-"

He brought the knife back.

"Did something _very, very_ _stupid._"

He brought hit hand down, with his fingers smacking into the thief's shoulder. The thief in question wasn't sure what to expect as he closed his eyes quickly to not watch the incoming kitchenware. Pain he understood. He expected as much. Blood he was familiar with. Scarring was a given, but he had few already that began to fade from his earlier life so that wasn't worrisome either. He also expected to scream as the object cut through his skin, breaking veins as the weapon would hit his collarbone.

He expected it. His attacker expected it. So it came to both boys' surprise (and one-part relief) when instead of a knife cutting skin, the expected weapon instead decided to take a dive back behind the Shinigami's back and away from the younger boy's skin.

In fact, there was a decisively loud 'clap' as something obviously smacked into the older boy's weapon, per the reason its altered course of direction.

"Ah!" The abusive Shinigami growled, dropping the would-be thief as he brought his hand down to look it over. It stung from whatever hit him. "Who's there?!" He glanced around. "Show yourself!"

The young thief hit the ground on his side, as his head felt heavy from both the pain in his side (thankfully the side he hadn't landed on) and the situation's high levels of tension. He glanced to his side, as the taller boy stood up to look around frantically for whatever, as he put it, 'struck a Shinigami's weapon arm!', momentarily forgetting his punching bag/potential-cutting board as he searched the mist for his attacker.

"Come out! I know you're out there!"

There was silence. The Shinigami was huffing, his face red, as he searched through the mist and bark, trying to catch any movement. The thief boy lay silent at his feet, hoping he wouldn't accidentally be stepped on. His eyes scanned around him. Being in the prone position he was, he felt it necessary to not be caught by surprise on whatever it was that spooked the once sadistic and gleeful Shinigami trainee.

Then the street rat caught a sight. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a small object fly from one of the bushes, flying fast as it whipped over him.

He heard a small pang, followed by a loud 'ow!' from his assaulter. "Stop that! Stop throwing-ow!" The younger boy saw it again. Corner of his eye, bush in front of him, he saw the small projectile fly. A stone, or pebble, moving at speeds he barely caught sight of, smacked its intended target. He stared at the bushes from where the small projectile came from, but they didn't even shift as the lumbering Shinigami-in-training ran towards the bushes. He'd seen where it came from to but appeared to have no luck as he shuffled through the branches and twigs, growling angrily as he did so.

"Get out of there!"

Pang!

"AHHH!" He screamed. This time, a fair sized stone hit him in the back of his neck, making a nice, loud smack around the clearing as the boy was knocked into the bushes he'd been searching through animatedly. Now, despite the situation being as tense and dangerous as it was, the smaller boy stifled a small, pained chuckle at the boy, even as the agitated youth stood up from the bushes and felt another stone hit him from his side. It was relentless.

"GAAAHHHH!" He was not amused, as he ran to pick up his dropped knife and held it in front of himself. "Get out! Get out now, you coward!" He was red-faced and looking very similar to a mad bull at this point. The little thief couldn't stop himself from laughing a little at the thought. First he acted like one, now he was looking the part.

Unfortunately for him, this turned out to be a mistake. The boy quickly turned to the source of the small laugh, remembering what brought him to those woods in the first place.

"You come out now," he shouted to the mist filled forest, as he moved towards the downed boy, "or I'll gut buddy-boy here like a-"

He never finished whatever he was going to say, as another sharp stone flew low to his side and knocked the knife, again, out of his grasp, flying under some bushes and out of his reach. Before the boy could even yell at the loss of his knife, another stone was thrown from another part of the woods, hitting him in the cheek.

He stumbled back. Another nailed him in the arm.

Another, to his jaw.

Then his chest. His back. Both knees. His back again. His groin (he screamed brilliantly for the whole forest to hear). And then finally, a nice large one to the forehead, smacking him so hard, his face held a look of complete daze before his eyes rolled back and he fell into a heap beside the Kiri thief.

The street rat watched the whole thing. The speed of the thrown earth astounded him. He never knew what hit him. One second, he was spouting threats and insults, trying to rein the situation in. Next, he was face down, bruised and looking none too ready to be taking a sadistic enjoyment out on the young boy (which, even with the pain in his side, the young boy was enjoying that idea quietly).

But now the young boy had another problem. He was alone, injured severely and potentially being attacked by an unknown assailant.

He began to struggle on the ground, grunting as his sides protested in the movement to get up and run. His arms pressed themselves to the ground, lifting him up, before his legs came out and planted his knees in-between the ground and his chest.

That obviously wasn't the smartest move, however, as even the smallest of touches from his leg to his ribs caused a severe grunt and gasp for air from the boy. He held his side, biting his lip as his eyes started to feel heavy. It was because of this that he didn't hear the shuffling of grass as a pair of feet made their way to his complicated position.

"That doesn't look good."

The boy's eyes widened. His head shot up from where he knelt to see the owner of the voice. Much like a dog or an animal, the boy bared his teeth at the owner of the voice. He let a breath out from his mouth, making it come out like a hiss. Wild is what he aimed for - dangerous - hoping his face gave off the necessary message to his possible attacker that, if he was trifled with, he wouldn't hesitate to bite.

But, much like the day in general, he wasn't that lucky. The figure leaned its head to the side. "_Scary_." Even with his growing pain and weariness, the boy could make out the voice was female, at least, even with his heavy eyes…and was mocking him.

The figure – a female or girl, if he guessed the sound of her voice right – took careful steps forward, standing beside him. The boy's eyes never left her.

Girl to the rat.

She reached her hand out to the boy's side, where the color of his skin was growing steadily redder. The boy flinched away, regretting it instantly with a pained yelp. The girl's eyes turned to him.

"Stay still." Her voice was neither soft or cold. It was firm, along with her eyes. It demanded obedience.

The boy let in heavy breaths. He didn't say anything, but he moved his arm away from his side and held himself together. He held his breath. The girl took that as her cue to move, lifting up the rags that were his clothes and moving her other hand to his skin.

Two fingers pressed into his side. No buckle or movement. She moved lower. He let out a breath but took another one, just regaining his breath. She went lower. And there was the buckle.

"Aiggh!" He scampered away, touching the limp body of the stoned Shinigami. His breezing was wheezy. She stared at him.

"Cracked or broken rib. At least one. I'm unsure which but I assume it's the latter." Shinigami strength, even in children, was still trained and developed strength beyond the normal age limit. It wouldn't be surprising a Shinigami could break a civilian's bones.

"I don't know how to fix them." She moved to his side again, grabbing onto his arm. "But I know someone who can. Come on."

He obviously didn't like that idea, as his initial reaction was to twist his head around, growl in the direction of the female and swing his arm with all the force he could muster. The girl didn't even flinch as her hand came up to her face and caught the swinging arm. The boy struggled to wrench his hand fee from her grip to no success. She stared at him calmly, having expected the reaction.

"You are on my family's lands." The girl said in the same monotonous voice. "I could have you both erased for stepping here, let alone for hitting me. Or worse, I could let you stay here so when he wakes up," She gestured to the drooling, unconscious boy beside them, "_he_ may do as he wants." The idea was obviously enough to hit home for the seemingly feral young man, as the boy's arms stopped its writhing in her grip. Instead of letting it go, she twisted it over her head and around her shoulders. She in turn, reached with her other arm and wrapped it around the torso of the boy, lifting him up.

It was at this point that the boy, through the mist and the heaviness in his eyes, got even the _barest_ look at his 'savior.' It wasn't much and his mind was barely working at this point, but he would remember one thing that struck out to him the most.

Blonde hair. He'd never forget that mess of blonde, messy hair.

"Your name." The girl's voice spoke up, as she lugged the boy's body through the mist and woods. His eyes were half-lidded. He might be unconscious any second now. He didn't respond, staring dumbly ahead, so she shook the boy on her shoulders to shake some sense into him. "Your _name_."

His gaze didn't change. In the current circumstances, his mind was running on 'ignore the pain' and 'duuuhhh,' so the answer, the first intelligible words that came out of his mouth in the last several months, came out clearer than the girl was expecting.

He had no formal name. Or if he did, his parents hadn't told him before he was kicked out. So, with a grimace and a release of stuffy air, the boy answered her.

"Z-Zabuza…"

She lugged him forward, through some bushes and past a few more trees, the clearing was far outside their view now (neither really cared about the boy that was left behind). If she heard his words she didn't say nor make any gesture of acknowledgement. She did, however, notice his weight was being distributed to her shoulders more and more as they went. He was barely taking steps.

Amazing. She came out to train and now she was bringing home a stray from the woods.

His feet were barely stepping down as they made their way into a very large clearing. She looked ahead to see a large building – a mansion or compound of considerable size – through the mist.

"Tier," he was barely awake now, with his breathing and lowered head showing his obvious strain of keeping conscious, "Tier Harribel."

That, along with her hair, was the only things he'd remember of that morning.

The heir and the rat.

* * *

**Present Day**

* * *

Like the previous day before, the Gegami squad worked on their Reishūkaku with various levels of success and stress levels that came with it. From the time the sun rose over the sea, the Gegami quickly went to work attempting to perfect their Reiryoku control through the strenuous exercise.

Haruno Sakura, a believed prodigy in the art of Kidō and Reiryoku control since her time at the academy, was lying on her back against a nearby tree, huffing and breathing deeply, Reishūkaku held under her arm, as she tried to regain her strength. Her latest attempt showed her overall progress, as the sphere of transparent blue energy had finally reached to just above her head and barely touching the ends of her feet.

She was steadily feeling her control over the luminescent light. A night's worth of sleep gave her plenty of time to gather her wits and strength back to concentrating her efforts into the orb and away from simply impressing the men around her. From barely having the Reiryoku sphere expand to her torso, to already having the energy touching her toes, she was finally starting to show why she was known as a Reiryoku genius at the academy.

Uchiha Sasuke, unlike his female squad mate, was an all-around genius in all aspects of being a Shinigami. However, even he himself was kneeling down, the crystal orb at his side and with notable scorches on his person. The sleep he gained the previous night had done him little good, as he could have sworn he was puffing up smoke from his lungs as a result from his 'failed attempts.'

He hated to admit it, but even this exercise was doing him some good. Through the pain, he could feel something akin to a hold on the energy his academy teachers had discussed for so long. Instead of feeling like the Reiryoku was a metaphysical force like he had for so long; with only he himself feeling the energy flowing through him like a push of water through his system, now he felt like he was starting to grasp hold of that water, now turned to ice or some form of solid and make use of it. It was slow – very slow – progress.

But what was worth achieving, if not through hard work?

Now, for the final member of the Gegami squad of Team Seven…well…

He was quickly earning the ire of his fellow teammates.

"Hey, check it out guys!" He yelled out, as he formed a solid Reiryoku sphere around himself, before quickly bouncing the Reishūkaku around in his hands, essentially juggling it with the biggest grin the Gegami had ever seen. "No hands!"

Kurosaki Ichigo, a boy who didn't even know how to control Reiryoku less than twenty-four hours ago, was now showing off his surprising level of ability over it.

From forming the orb, repairing it for damages, expanding and retracting it to various lengths, to now juggling it (which they weren't even sure was possible), the former 'dead-last', as was his popular nickname at the academy, was now showing his seemingly effortless skill with the Reishūkaku, without so much as a huffing a breath of strain.

In other words, it was pissing off his teammates by the second.

"Ah ah! Nicely done, Ichigo-kun! _Very_ impressive!" Urahara yelled from the side, his cane in hand but with notably less-leaning on it than the previous day, as he enjoyed watching the usually stern boy enjoy his new found success and his teammates seething.

He remembered the beginning of the morning with a grin. At first, his two students asked how Ichigo, the one with the lowest skill in Reiryoku control in the entire academy and with absolutely no control whatsoever since the previous night, had somehow managed to create a perfect orb like the one last night. Now, being a good sensei, he'd told them the truth, which then spurred them to ask what his advice was. He told them the truth again; a focusing technique that his very own sensei developed specifically for Reiryoku control.

Thoroughly interested at this point, this prompted them to ask what the focusing technique was.

Urahara remembered his answer. "Well, if you're so interested, why don't you ask Ichigo-kun then?" He remember them turning around to their teammate, who was already in the midst of training, as he practiced retracting and expanding his Reiryoku sphere. It was perfect sphere of energy around him, however, nonetheless.

This only seemed to irk them along with the prospect of asking for a 'dead-last's' help. It was a case of pride in oneself as a Shinigami and as 'specialists' in Reiryoku, along with being generally worn-out from working out from the day's exercises, that held them back.

But, they weren't fools by any stretch of the word. Sasuke knew this and he knew his progress was being strained as weariness and time continued on. All the while, Ichigo was making this look as easy as breathing.

So, with a strain of the legs, Sasuke stood and made his way to the 'juggling-Shinigami.' He tapped on the sphere, getting the orange-haired boy's attention. "Hey, Ichigo!" He yelled, the orb distorting his voice somewhat as Ichigo turned his head to give him a look.

"What?" The sphere of energy fell, as Ichigo placed the Reishūkaku under his arm. Sasuke paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before turning his head to the side. He looked embarrassed, even with a tinge of red on his cheeks.

"What…what did Urahara tell you the other day?" He struggled in his asking for assistance. Last time he asked anyone for help was a good four years ago. It had to have been…unusual, for the Uchiha prodigy.

"Oh." Ichigo held a rather dull expression on his face before hearing that, somewhat annoyed for being distracted from what he might have even called 'fun,' before twisting around and giving Sasuke's his attention.

He was by no means a teacher or instructor on (even his minimal success with Konohamaru was a sheer force of dumb luck) but how hard could relay a few words his sensei gave him the night before be? "Uh, sure. Just hang on a sec…"

Sakura's eyes watched the two boys on her team. She tried to make out their words from the ground, but from her own exhaustion and weariness, it was difficult to even make out mumbles from her spot in the grass.

She watched Ichigo speak to Sasuke, holding up the Reishūkaku. He closed his eyes, the energy; again, flaring up into a round sphere around him so smoothly that, after seeing it so many times, it wasn't surprising. Ichigo said some more words, letting the energy dissipate around him. He bounced the orb in his hand, smirking as Sasuke nodded to something he said; obvious understanding dawning on his features.

Urahara watched from the side. Despite the both of them having initial issues with trust with one another, the Jogami could tell they were both becoming stronger and stronger as the days went on. Both in their natural ability and their ability to trust one another, the changes were evident if one considered the past month overall.

Urahara wondered just how strong they would get. Sasuke had the talent, but Ichigo had the raw ability to expand faster than he thought possible.

He wasn't sure what would occur next, but he was looking forward to it, if his smile was any indication of his thoughts…

* * *

**Nineteen Years Ago**

* * *

"I'm leaving now, Sana-san." A blonde-haired girl – Tier Harribel – said in her usual monotonous voice, as she hefted her backpack onto her shoulders, turning to give a curt nod to her nanny as she stepped out to the back of the mansion.

Sana, an elderly woman in her early fifties, with short brown hair, fair skin and in a plain gray uniform of sorts, frowned slightly as she looked over Tier. "Harribel-sama, while I do not question your views or beliefs on matters you are steadfast on, I must insist you take necessary protections when meeting that _boy_." She shook her head. "I don't trust him."

She'd been saying the same thing for the last three months. "I understand." Tier repeated for well over the fortieth time. "But _I_ do not have any reason to distrust Zabuza-san and I wish to see him." Sana pursed her lips.

She always did when she heard the boy's name. It was not so much dislike as much as, as Tier put it, distrust. The boy was a thief. He admitted as much while he was under their care for the couple weeks he'd been bedridden. During the time, she took in how he acted or how he'd follow the people in the room with his eyes. Perhaps she was frightened of him, to an extent. You never knew with the people of Kiri. One second they could be quiet and tame as any household pet. And the next, they would show their fangs.

Sana had no understanding behind Tier's, dare she say it, _interest_ in the boy. And though she, her fellow caretakers, and even the master of the house had shown dislike towards the ruffian, it was also the master of the house's wish for his daughter to develop and grow through her own choices and mistakes on her own. She would grow strong, resourceful and resilient from it.

It was the Harribel way.

"I will see you at supper, Sana-san." Tier gave a small nod to her caretaker, who returned it with a deep bow, before sprinting across the grounds towards the looming forests ahead, the mist causing slight visibility issues, but was reasonably light for the time of the year.

Tier didn't show it, but as she went through the trees and through the underbrush of Kiri's flora she looked back to the past few months that she'd come in contact with the 'street-urchin-Zabuza,' as her servants had so graciously christened him.

* * *

After pulling him out of her family's forests and placing him within the security of her family's house, her servants quickly went to work to preserving and holding onto to the boy's waning life. Three ribs broken, with one internally causing him to bleed while also drowning him slowly in his own blood.

He'd been lucky. Her family doctor told Tier that much. He'd recommended bed rest for the boy and to keep his health up for a faster recovery.

Tier remembered her father's look on the boy when he was brought in. He'd allowed Tier to save his life, having expected her to take the boy in as a new servant for the household. It would have been her first but for being on their lands, she had the right to take custody over the boy and 'servantize' him, as the Sandaime Mizukage quoted.

Tier gave her father an honest answer at that point: she'd been training in the woods for her upcoming Shinigami entrance exams and noticed the boy being attacked. Bluntly, she told her father how she intended to save him and that's what she did. No more, no less, no ulterior motivations behind her actions.

Her father was used to her blunt, monotonous attitude so he took her words in stride. He'd claimed servants from the markets and, on one or two occasions, from attempted actions that warranted immediate 'servantizing.' If she didn't want to claim the boy, he would not force her, though her actions were a bit…odd, at least, considering how she normally was. She'd never really shown interest in anything, outside of her training. Even when she was young, she rarely showed interest in even her own father. She was a neutral party in practically all senses of the word.

But he could see it. The boy caught her interest. Not in any manner that warrant a father being cautious towards his daughter – Tier was not that type of girl at her age to develop 'feelings' for anyone – but he still tried to understand what made the street rat so interesting.

He couldn't see it. He remembered talking to the doctor and being told the boy would need rest for at least a month before even attempting to move him out of the cottage. He remembered marking that as something un-unique, in his opinion. Any average civilian would take that long to heal from such an attack.

He remembered that mark on his judgment of the boy. He kept watch over him from time to time, watching as he slept in his mansion, unconcerned (he vaguely wondered if that was the first time he'd ever slept in a bed to begin with). He remembered watching his daughter standing over him, eyes narrowed, as if trying to figure out as much as he did what made the boy interesting to her.

He remained in a negative-to-neutral light in the man's eyes for some time. Two weeks, to be exact. Then, on the fourteenth day, he'd vanished.

This came as a minor surprise. He should have still been quite injured and barely capable of walking. Yet he'd snuck out, just like that.

Two weeks. His silent opinion of 'Zabuza the urchin' rose slightly at that (along with the fact he did not seem to have stolen any of the household valuables that were lined between the nearest exit and his resting chambers. That helped).

If Tier cared that the boy had run off, it did not show. For three days, she continued to train in the woods as she normally would: alone and unaided. It suited her just fine. She grew up mostly under the impression that, while sacrifice for the village was accepted and encouraged, achieving greatness on one's own would not be frowned upon either.

Thus, while going through an exercise that used the very Reiryoku of one's body to spin the mists around one's self, did she feel a familiar presence enter her small area of training.

She remembered staring at the boy. Zabuza, as she remembered his name. He looked better, all things considered, than he did a week ago. It was also the first time she saw his eyes. They were vibrant and innocent, though she could not place the words on what she could describe seeing in those eyes at the time. He still wore his usual rags with the bandages placed under them. He looked slightly strained standing there but kept his gaze on her.

He was the first one to speak. "Are you a Shinigami?"

He'd noticed the swirling mist. "No." She answered honestly. "But I wish to become one."

"Why?"

"It is tradition." The Harribel family had been closely associated with the Shinigami ways for decades, if not for over a hundred years, if what her father said was true.

"Tradition?" He did not know the word.

"A belief or form of duty passed down through generations." She hadn't understood the word either until her father taught her it. "My family has had several Shinigami prodigies." She neglected to mention that the last several years of internal conflicts in the region had all but caused an extinction of her clan, but she did not feel the need to mention such trivia. "I am the latest hopeful."

Zabuza continued to stare. "That boy was a Shinigami."

Ah. Now she understood. "I am not like him."

He did not retort back. "You carried me, right?" Tier raised an eyebrow. If she didn't know any better, the boy almost seemed embarrassed at the prospect of being carried to safety by a girl. If she were any other girl (or one of those 'funny' girls she'd read about in books or seen outside of the Kiri academy) she might have teased him on this.

Instead, Tier nodded with a flat expression. "I did."

Zabuza paused, just looking at the 'uptown girl' with a careful eye, leaving Tier uncertain of what he would do next. She needn't worry, however, as Zabuza straightened up his back and gave a small, but firm nod.

"Thanks."

He left after, leaving Tier to her training.

* * *

It would not be the last time she would see him, however.

She didn't show it, but Zabuza surprised her when he showed up, yet again, to her training yard two days later.

He stood there, watching her at the edge of the wooded corners as she stared back. Neither made any motion to acknowledge the others presence aside staring at the other.

After a minute or so of what might have been considered 'awkward staring', Tier went back to her exercises, ignoring the boy as he took a seat beside a tree.

It was an interesting second day. Tier would later tell her father and Sana what occurred. While Sana was concerned for her young mistress's safety and her father inquired if she would prefer him dead, Tier appeared to be rather calm despite the boy's intrusion. She'd felt the need to notify her father but aside from that was not concerned with the occurrence.

As she suspected, the next couple of days were the same. She'd train, he'd watch silently. She'd get ready to leave sometime later, he'd already be gone before she finished packing.

The routine remained the same for well over a week. Zabuza: the urchin watching. Tier: the heir training. Neither of the two youths found the scenario uncomfortable. In fact, Tier's father and caretaker seldom wondered if Tier was actually enjoying it, as impossible as it might have been deemed a month beforehand. She always brought up the boy during dinner, even if it wasn't the topic of their discussion. Same monotonous tone, same dull eyes whenever the subject was brought up. But she was always the one to bring him up in a conversation.

They weren't sure what to make of that.

It wasn't until a week into their comfortable routine that Zabuza broke the silence of the forest with a question.

"How are you doing that?" He was referring to the mist swirling exercise. Tier paused for a brief second, perhaps taken aback by his voice or trying to understand what he was asking her, before continuing the exercise.

"I'm manipulating my Reiryoku into a swirl around the mist." She answered, as the boy raised an eyebrow.

"Reiryoku?"

"Spiritual energy inside the body that Shinigami manipulate to give them their powers." It was the textbook definition in a nutshell. She wasn't surprised to see him even more confused. "It is a power aligned with willpower and physicality within an individual." Still confused. "Mind power."

"Ah." That was the dumb-dumbed version of it (and not one-hundred percent truthful version either). "It's weird."

This kid was blunt. "I suppose." She admitted, not sure where the conversation was heading. In fact, it didn't seem to go any further, as the boy stopped asking his questions and returned to his watching her from the side.

He didn't ask any additional questions until the following morning, in fact. "How do you use Reirku?"

"_Reiryoku_." She corrected him as she continued her self-lessons, not even stopping to look at the boy as she moved through her forms, a small, wooden sword grasped firmly in her hands.

"Yeah that."

She swung forward. "You must maintain a level of calm and collectiveness when using Reiryoku." She was quoting her past lessons with her father. "You must be physically capable and mentally strong with yourself to grasp the spiritual energy that is Reiryoku." She swung low before giving a sharp downward thrust. "Do you understand?

He hesitated. "I think so." He paused, watching her. "So, is anyone able to do," he gestured to her, "it?"

"No." She answered bluntly. "Most lack Reiryoku. It isn't something easily obtained and is often believed that one is born with the ability to channel or use Reiryoku." Tier instructed, with Zabuza calmly trying to discern her words to the best of his limited educational ability.

"How do you know if you have Reiryoku?"

Tier paused. That was a tricky one. It never was brought up why some did not have the ability to use Reiryoku. Her father had it and so did she. She never questioned why she and not Sana had Reiryoku-manipulating capabilities. It was just how it was. No more, no less.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. This was the first time she wasn't aware of an answer to a question relating to Shinigami arts. "I'd have to ask father."

Zabuza nodded. "Alright." That was the last question he asked that day. Tier continued her lesson, still puzzled and unsure of the answer, trying to come up with a logical basis for why she and not others had Reiryoku in them.

It troubled her, not knowing, and the fact that the boy asked it, as well. It got her thinking.

* * *

The routine lasted for several weeks. Tier, when not being instructed privately by her father on some new Shinigami ability or trick for the academy she would soon be attending, she spent her time training and discussing various matters with the homeless boy deep within the family wooded areas.

After a time, she found herself inquiring into the boy's nature, as well. Asking questions that might have seemed pushy or even an invasion of privacy to some, such as how life was for him or what it was like to be poor or homeless.

He never once denied her an answer (mostly because he didn't know the difference between a genuine question and an invasive one).

Recently, Tier even found herself starting the conversations between them. Even taking small breaks to give her undivided attention to the urchin boy.

Their discussions delved from Shinigami arts to simpler matters in their lives. While they were by no means animated or seen laughing heartily together (Tier being naturally closed off and Zabuza being a naturally hardened boy from his rough life) but they didn't seem to deny one's company nor reproach the other.

The heir and the rat, as the servant began to call them.

* * *

"I'll be joining the academy soon." She said one afternoon, as she continued to move through her forms, Zabuza lounging by the usual tree, eyes closed and resting during a particularly less-foggy day in the village of Kirigakure.

Zabuza turned his head over to her, eyes still closed but still acknowledging he heard her. "Okay."

"That means you won't be allowed to come her for a while." This stirred him awake.

"Eh?"

"I won't be coming for a while." She stood still, lowering her practice sword. "If I'm not here, you are not allowed on our property." She turned to him. "You would be killed on sight as a trespasser."

He stared at her. "Kinda harsh, don't ya think?" She shrugged.

"That is the law of our Mizukage-sama." She turned around and went to her backpack, tying the wooden sword to it as she began to return things to their rightful places.

Zabuza stared at her. Usually, this would be the part where he'd leave.

So, it was to her silent, expressionless surprise that, when she turned to head home, Zabuza was standing there, seemingly waiting.

This was only confirmed, after initially getting over her surprise, she started to walk, Zabuza falling into step.

Aside from walking beside her, or at least up to the edge of the woods overlooking Tier's mansion, Zabuza did not do anything out of the ordinary from his usual routine. He didn't say a word, he didn't offer any goodbyes and, when Tier was safely inside, he turned and walked away.

* * *

**Present Day**

* * *

"What do ya mean you're done?!" Tazuna yelled over the bridge.

"It's like I said, Tazuna. I'm done." An older man – Giichi – replied back, sweat and nervousness evident on his face as he stood his ground against the older Nami no Kuni resident. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and…I can't take it anymore." He shook his head. "I want to help, really. We've been friends for a long time. But if we continue, Gatō will notice and come after us." He visibly trembled. "And he won't stop there. He'll come after our families, too. What's the point of working if it would just get us all killed?"

Tazuna gave him a flat look. "I can't quit." He told him. "This bridge is _our_ bridge. This is the bridge we started building _together_. It will bring resources and wealth back into our poor nation." Giichi shook his head.

"But if we lose our lives-!"

"It's already five." Tazuna interrupted, turning around and walking towards the edge of the bridge. "Let's stop for the day." He walked aways down the bridge before casting a small look over his shoulder. "You don't have to come tomorrow if you don't wanna." He made his way towards the rest of the workers, ignoring Giichi, who stood in place for a small moment before treading back towards the mainland with a visible air of defeat.

Tazuna clapped his hands loudly to the rest of the workers. "Alright! Time to pack up! Same time tomorrow everyone!" The workers took it as their cue, dropping what they were working on and making their way towards Nami no Kuni. Tazuna turned his head towards the lone Shinigami around. "You can stop too, ya know?"

Ichigo turned around, holding several metal poles over his shoulders, as he fixed the man with a flat look. "You sure? I can keep going." Ichigo had been ordered to keep watch over Tazuna and his workers while Sasuke and Sakura continued on their exercises.

His watch had been slow and boring. So, what started as a joke from Tazuna to help them move a few piles of equipment quickly turned into a full load of work for the young man. It wasn't what he was hired for, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Everyone's heading out." Tazuna replied, silently wishing he had a dozen others just like Ichigo. "You've been super helpful, but you can only do so much on your own." He gave him a wave over. "Come on. Let's go grab some stuff for dinner tonight." Ichigo shrugged, lowering the piping to his feet before retrieving his Zanpakutō and catching up to the 'master bridge builder.'

Food sounded pretty good.

* * *

Prior to settling down in Tazuna's house, the Shinigami never got a good look at the entirety of Nami no Kuni. Even Urahara, who's had a long career in service to Konoha, had never traveled to Nami in the past.

Nami no Kuni was fair in size, though nowhere _near_ the size of Konoha itself. The village was mostly made up of shacks and tents, with very few actual buildings to speak of. The civilians of the village did not look much better than the village, with dozens of food-deprived and sickly-looking individuals lining the sides of streets, people walking around with signs around their necks, begging for work, and a very unusual air of stillness, as if things would remain the same forever, hung over Tazuna and Ichigo as they went to search for the local market. It was the sights, sounds and smells of poverty.

"Hmm, I wonder what's in store today." Tazuna wondered aloud. "Maybe some cabbage or carrots? Or maybe some turnips-?"

"Stop! Thief!" A man yelled behind the two, as a man, holding a small brown bag, sped down the street past them. Ichigo just stared at the thief, even as people stared but made no move to stop him. Heck, some even moved out of the man's way.

"-or maybe some apples? We might get lucky, who knows?" He scratched his chin as Ichigo stared at him. He didn't seem to even notice what had just occurred.

"What is wrong with this place?" Ichigo wondered aloud, mostly to himself. This place was worse than even the lowest parts of his village. How could people stand to stay in such a neglected part of the world?

The two walked on, ignoring the people around them, as they entered a rather shabby looking store. Its windows were broken and looked to have been taped back together several times over, their food stocks were scarce and looked to be of low quality and the owner looked just as ready to flop down dead at his register.

Ichigo blinked. This place just continued to impress…

He felt a touch to his backside and turned around sharply. A bald man wearing worn-out tan clothes looked shocked at being caught in the midst of a quick steal.

Ichigo's features twisted into a cruel smirk. "Tell me," his voice mimicked his features, suddenly sounding dangerous and a little intimidating to the petty, would-be thief, "were you trying to steal my _sword _or do something _else_?" He didn't even suggest what the _else_ was, instead letting the man got a good look at him, perhaps guessing now what he was and figuring out his mistake.

The thief began to sweat. He'd made the mistake on trying to flip one of the latches off the sheath that was tied around Ichigo's back. Unfortunately, his smooth hand grazed away from its intended target. "Uh, steal your sword-OOF!"

"YOU BETTER HAVE!"

* * *

"You surprised me a bit back there…" Tazuna admitted after exiting the market, bag full of food in his hands, as he followed beside a notably red-faced Kurosaki. "Kinda expected you to butcher the man with that sword you have there..."

"What is wrong with this place?!" Ichigo yelled, eye twitching as he felt…_violated_, even with figuring out what the man's intention really was.

He should have beaten him down some more.

No more than a couple seconds after he said this, he felt another hand grab onto his backside, tugging onto his kimono. His eyes widened, face scrunching up, as he growled and reached for his Zanpakutō.

"Okay, wise guy! I'm gonna-!" He turned around, his scowl evident, as he took in who was tugging on his clothes _again_.

His expression turned to surprise, when he saw a small child, no older than six, wearing rags for clothes and whose hair was so wild looking Ichigo wouldn't have found it hard to believe that the small child never had his hair cut since birth. He was covered in dirt and had a few cuts and bruises on his arms and legs.

The child stared at him, surprised at the older boy reaction, before smiling brightly. "Please?" He asked, holding his hands out.

Ichigo stared at him. His expression was innocent. Purely innocent, which surprised Ichigo. It seemed…out of place. It was kind of sad.

"Hold on," Ichigo reached into his kimono, scrounging through an inner pocket, before pulling out a wad of tiny pieces, "it's not much but I hope you like strawberry." He held his hand out, letting the tiny pieces of tightly wrapped candy fall from his hand into the boy's open palms. He was told by Urahara that giving out bits of cash was not allowed while he was there.

But, what was a few pieces of candy gonna do, hmm?

The small boy's expression brightened immensely. "Oh, thank you!" Ichigo nodded, a small smile on his face, as the small boy ran off to a corner of the street, a small group of kids seemingly waiting for him. The boy showed his small treasures to the group of kids, whose expressions brightened alongside him, as the children ran down the corner of the street to parts unknown.

Ichigo's expression fell as Tazuna stepped beside him. "This is how it's been since Gatō came," Tazuna responded, "the adults lose hope and the children suffer the most. The adults believe nothing will change and so pass those beliefs onto the next generation." Ichigo stared at him. "That's why we _have_ to finish the bridge. Alongside commerce and trade, the bridge will also bring back the spirit to move forward within ourselves." Tazuna lowered his gaze. "When the bridge is finished, the people will start to _believe_ again."

Ichigo stared back to where the small boy ran off before turning around and starting back towards Tazuna's home. He didn't offer any word on the matter to the elderly bridge builder, who fell into step beside him.

* * *

**Nineteen Years Ago**

* * *

"Have a nice day, Tier-chan!"

"Really appreciate all the help you gave me on Kidō!"

"Are you sure you don't want to stick around? Idasame-kun has been wanting to talk with you for a while now."

The group of girls in the classroom giggled as their younger peer stared at them monotonously. "I appreciate the offer," Tier replied, "but I am afraid I will be unable. I have prior arrangements with my father concerning clan skills and abilities I must learn." She picked up her backpack and lifted it over her shoulders. She gave a small bow to her classmates. "If you will excuse me." She walked to the door of the classroom and left without another word.

The group of girls sighed. "Oh, man!"

"This stinks!"

"Tier-chan never has time for us."

"She's so cool though! And her ability-oh! I am so envious!"

"No kidding! She skipped _three_ years of class in a _week_! That has to be a new record or something!"

"No kidding!"

The group of girls laughed between themselves. Tier was one of a kind. Smart, talented and easily one of the best Shinigami initiates of the year. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Tier Harribel _earned_ her right to be there.

One of the female members of the class glanced out the window. Her eyes narrowed. "Although," she whispered, catching her friends' attention, "there is one thing left to be desired from her."

Her friend's eyes met what she was talking about. "No kidding…"

* * *

"Hey, Tier-hime! How's the academy?"

"I thought I asked you _not_ to call me by that ridiculous honorific."

"It sounded more like a suggestion than an actual demand."

"Then I demand that you, _Zabuza-chan_, refer to me in the _proper_ manner that I have asked you to refer to me by."

"Haha, nope."

Tier, the usually expressionless, emotionally-in-control Shinigami-in-training, sighed. "I don't understand why I even bother to try."

Zabuza smiled brightly. "Ah, admit it! You sorta like it, don't ya?"

Tier did not answer his question. "Similar to my demand that you cease walking me home, you neglect to even give me the courtesy of addressing by a proper title. 'San' or, if you _must_, 'chan' if you find yourself _incapable_ of showing a level of respectfulness to our mutual companionship." Zabuza stared at her.

"Wha?" He was still trying to understand some of harder/larger words she seemed so keen on using nowadays, as Tier shook her head and kept a slow pace in the direction of her home.

For the last few months since joining the academy, things had been going well for the Harribel clan heir. She'd risen through the ranks of the academy, gaining quite the reputation in doing so. In less than a week, she'd joined the graduation class of that year. Her class was amazed, and envious, of her ability and either wanted to become close with or defeat her in some way.

To Tier's credit, she took this all in stride. She was a prodigy, as the academy instructors called her. She'd known this prior, however, not that she'd let that bit of knowledge get to her. A Shinigami dies under the seven sins, her father once told her. Too much pride in herself would be her downfall.

But, as was only human, she did enjoy the appreciation and amazement at her technique in all arts and knowledge in what it meant to be a skilled Shinigami. She learned a new trick here and there from her instructors but was otherwise the class's mascot and natural born 'death god'.

She was deemed perfect. Except for one, as it was deemed, _flaw._

It was only after her first day at the academy that the entire student body became aware of her 'escort.' Zabuza had made quite the impression on the first day of the academy term when he waited outside, leaning by a nearby tree, as he waited for Tier to exit the building.

He'd surprised the students with his presence. Even more so when Tier, after exiting the academy and giving an almost unseen look of recognition to the street urchin, decided to walk over to him, say a few words that the nearby students couldn't hear, and then made her way down the street with the dark-haired orphan in tow.

What was deemed that day as an once-in-a-lifetime occurrence quickly became an every-school-day occurrence. Tier would walk to the academy, alone, but would leave with the street urchin boy. Most of the student body would watch out from various windows at the odd reaction of greeting between the two as they walked away from the academy.

They didn't know what to make of this. At first, they expressed awe at one of their finest peers making such an unusual and unorthodox gesture as to walk with someone as low-birth as Zabuza was (though they did not have a name to put with the face at the time). Their looks of awe quickly went to uncertainty to the boy's presence and then quickly to disgust and shame.

How dare such a creature as Zabuza walk so closely to the school's esteemed Harribel heir and prodigy? How dare he refer to her in such a familiar way as, if the rumors were true, 'Tier-_hime_.' How dare he treat her like she was of _his_ level or that he was on _hers_.

It was an unusual way of thinking, but if it was one thing Kiri Shinigami had, it was unorthodox thinking.

On days such as these, rumors spread that some of the upperclassmen would 'deal' with the street rat. Harribel expressed, in her usual, seemingly-uncaring way, that Zabuza should be wary of the academy students. She'd meant to be subtle about it.

"My classmates wish to erase you."

He'd meant to be just as subtle.

"Fuck them."

It was a new word he heard from a bar down the road from his sleeping hubble. He kinda liked it.

Tier didn't say anything more on the matter. Instead, whenever she heard anyone discussing a way to rid the school of Tier's 'rat-problem,' she dealt with them accordingly.

Verbally or physically, whichever they would listen to.

Naturally, the desire to rid of Tier's 'problem' was quickly erased while at the same time, oddly enough, raising her popularity immensely.

The heir and the rat, the students quickly began to refer to the both of them by.

Back to the two pair at their present circumstance, Tier looked over to her acquaintance. "Refer to me either as 'san' or 'chan'." She clarified.

"Ohh!" He said in understanding. "Nah. I'm good. Tier-hime fits you better, anyway." He never relented. Tier had come to understand this, just as when she told him that he did not need to escort her home. Harribel were strong and did not need escorts, as her father would tell her.

He didn't seem to appreciate that tradition. "I do not understand how I am able to deal with you."

"Same goes for you, _hime_."

They continued down the road.

* * *

**Present Day**

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura continued to focus on the Reishūkaku held firmly in between their hands, even as the day began to turn to night and several beads of sweat fell from their brows.

Sasuke grimaced as he felt the energy surround his form, encasing him in an almost oval-shaped sphere from head to toe. It held its shape for well over fifteen seconds, as the boy struggled to stretch his orb outwards from his body now.

Sakura felt the orb encase herself. The transparent orb finally began to reach the desired length her sensei desired. Unfortunately, her progress hadn't yielded her desired results on the length at which she could keep the orb stable and going.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, arms tensing around the orb, before letting a large breath of air out, allowing the energy to flow back. He took deep pants for air, as he looked over to Sakura who, similarly, released the energy around her and gasped for desired amounts of air.

Despite himself, Sasuke grimaced. He was catching up but he wasn't there yet.

Before he let his anger get to him, however, he took a deep breath. This wasn't him. _Anger_ wasn't him.

He turned his head to the orb. What did Ichigo tell him?

Right. Now he remembered. That ridiculous idea that Urahara gave him.

He remembered acknowledging it. It sounded like something Urahara would have told the orange-haired Shinigami. But Sasuke hesitated actually implementing it, despite seeing the results.

Part of it was because of his own nature. He asked for help, sure, but now he felt like he was fighting himself to actually take Urahara's advice. Asking was one thing. Actually doing was another.

He looked at the orb in his hands. He was struggling with the shape, he knew that. Ichigo got it so easy after one little hint. If he took the same hint – _actually_ _did it_ – would he have it down so easy?

He was a prodigy. That meant yes, usually, but that also meant he was someone who would naturally be gifted in whatever he was tasked with. But now, with this seemingly easy exercise – one the dead-last of their class was able to do so easily after not even a day of practice – he found himself wondering what would be the next move to make.

"Hey, Sasuke," Sasuke, his head snapping out of his conflicted thoughts, turned to Sakura with a hard stare for breaking him out of his thoughts, "well, uh, the thing is…" She hesitated, his stare unsettling her. Sasuke's gaze hardened further.

"What?" He didn't have time for her girly, date-y attitude right now.

She understood that. "Y-you know, you asked for advice when Ichigo was here," she felt herself blush, unsure of herself, "so what, exactly, did he tell you?" This was awkward. Asking the prodigy what the dead-last told him about something related to Shinigami. That wasn't the norm.

Sasuke stared at the pinkette. "What?"

Sakura blushed some more. "W-what did Ichigo tell you?" She felt her face going red now. Come to think of it, she was a Reiryoku expert. She should have already been a natural, by now, on this exercise.

Instead, she too was looking for advice. "Why do you want to know?" He asked honestly. "You're doing," he hesitated, "pretty good." He wasn't sure if even that was the right word. And if it were any other situation, Sakura would have been beaming at the praise. Instead, she shook her head.

"But I'm nowhere _near_ as good as Ichigo is." She regretfully admitted. "I mean, did you see how what he did last night? Or this morning? It was unbelievable! Especially considering who it was doing it!" It wasn't meant as an insult. Both of them knew if it was one of them who should have gotten the exercise down last, it would have been Ichigo.

Sasuke didn't let his thoughts show on his face. "Aren't you embarrassed to take his advice?" It was more of a question for himself than for her, though Sakura's face darkened a deeper red.

"I-I just wanted to know, that's all…" Begrudgingly, Sasuke glanced away from the rather timid girl, keeping to his own thoughts. Sakura took this as another of the numerous signs that Sasuke gave her that he wasn't interested in talking with her at the moment.

Initially, when the two were left alone to work on their Reishūkaku, the female member of Team Seven was elated at the possibility of some 'alone time' with her Sasuke-kun. This delighted mood, however, would turn south quickly with the revelation that Sasuke rather focus on his work than her (which, honestly, looking back, she should have realized without even thinking about it).

Sasuke stared at the ground, his thoughts to himself, before returning his gaze to the kneeling girl. He nodded. "Alright."

"Huh?" Sakura turned her head back the boy, who held his Reishūkaku out.

"I haven't tried this yet," he admitted, "but let's see if it works or not." He cast his gaze to the girl for a moment, making sure that she was listening, before looking back to his sphere. He took a deep breath.

"First, picture a circle in your mind…"

* * *

**Nineteen Years Ago**

* * *

"Come on! Please Harribel-san! I could _really_ use some advice on the upcoming Kidō test!" Begged an adolescent boy, no older than ten, as he got on his knees and looked up to the monotonous Tier with pleading eyes, even as she continued to pack her things away without so much as glancing his way.

"Sorry. I am unable today." She said. "I am busy with prior engagements." She threw her backpack behind her, shuffled it into a comfortable place, before turning and walking towards the door. "Maybe some other time."

The boy groaned. "But you _always_ say that…" It was true. He'd asked several times prior to that day for assistance in a number of Shinigami aspects. He, like Tier, had advanced past initial classes and made it in the graduating class of that year.

Now, one might have asked why he, as a skilled Shinigami-in-training, would be asking for help in his training. Well, even if it weren't obvious to Tier, it was evident to most of the other's in their class.

The boy, Idasame Raicha, had a small crush on the class prodigy.

"Ida-kun, tough luck, man." Idasame heard behind him, as a long arm wrapped around himself, pulling him into a friendly 'noogie.' "Always going for the untouchable, man. Heck, why can't you be like the rest of us and accept that no one can get to the unfillable, indescribable, Harribel-chan!" Idasame groaned, as he wrestled out of his classmate's grip while also trying to ignore his friend's usual overzealous attitude.

"Shut it." Idasame said back, embarrassed. "You make her sound like she's the Mizukage."

"She might as well be." His overenthusiastic friend replied back. "She's a natural: Shinigami-wise, heritage-wise, attitude-wise; hell, they should just give her that hat!"

Idasame didn't admit it, but that's what he admired about her. She was just so…so… "Cool."

"Exactly!" The older boy roughly patted Idasame on the back, getting a light chuckle from the ten-year old, before he turned and looked out to the road outside their classroom. "But man, what does that guy got that we don't?"

Idasame followed his classmate's gaze. He wasn't surprised at what he saw.

Like every school day, he saw Tier walk out the doors, walk over to a familiar tree, exchange a few words with the boy waiting under it, _maybe_ give off a smile, and then walk in the same direction towards the Harribel compound.

Idasame groaned, lowering his head and letting off an air of dread. "What does he have that I don't?"

"Rags? Calluses? Lice?" His friend shrugged. "Tier?"

Idasame looked up to the smirking boy. "You are a terrible person, you know that?"

* * *

**Present Day**

* * *

"Ahahaha! Man, this is super! It's been so long since we've had guests in our house!" Tazuna said, as he watched the three Gegami dig in to the food in front of them, eating quickly to fill the emptiness. Even Sakura, who usually hesitated because of a 'diet' she was on, went at the food in front of her like there was no tomorrow.

The three Gegami took deep gulps of food before holding their bowls up to Tsunami. "More please!" Tsunami blinked, astounded that someone of their statures could eat so much, so quickly.

"Oh, ah, sure." She murmured, filling their bowls again with rice as they digged into their fourth or fifth bowls of food.

Urahara laughed. "Man, this brings back memories of my own team." He smiled, as he continued to eat his first bowl of rice.

"Where do they put it all?" Tazuna wondered aloud with a large smile, as Urahara shrugged.

"They're turning into teenagers. As a result, they'll always be hungry." That was about as much truth as you could get on the matter.

Dinner passed quickly, with the group acknowledging that, if they were gonna have this many hungry mouths to feed again, a little more rice might need to be in order.

Sakura glanced over to a picture on the wall of the kitchen. It wouldn't have struck them as odd or peculiar except for a large part of the upper right photo was torn off from the rest of it, only showing Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari. Even with the large rip, it was evident someone was missing.

"Hey, excuse me, but I just noticed this picture is torn. Is there some reason for that?" She asked innocently, as she turned to the youngest in the room, whose hat still covered his eyes. "Inari-chan, you were gazing at the picture through dinner. Is there someone missing in there?" The occupants of the photo stiffened from their positions in the room. This motion wasn't lost to Urahara.

"It's my husband." Tsunami replied, as she continued to wash the dishes. Tazuna's gaze fell from his spot at the table.

"He was someone that this country used to call a _hero_." Inari stiffened, catching Ichigo's attention, before pushing himself back from the table and moved towards the stairs to his room.

"Inari! Where are you going?" Inari didn't respond, closing the door to the living room with a small clap and heading back to his room. Tsunami grimaced. "Father! I told you not to mention that man in front of Inari! You know that!" She moved to follow the small boy, leaving the bridge builder and Shinigami to themselves.

An awkward moment of silence fell over them. "Inari's so…" Sakura could not find the right words. "I mean, what happened to him?" Urahara looked slightly interested

"Oh! I smell a story coming on!" Tazuna hesitated, unsure if it was his place to say anything or not, before taking a sip from his cold beverage and letting out a breath of held air.

"That man in the photo wasn't Inari's real father…but when he came to this country, he brought so much happiness to this household…and taught this country the true meaning behind the word, _courage_…" Tazuna, despite himself, wiped his eyes clear of tears. "He and Inari were _inseparable_…"

Ichigo glanced away from the photo on the wall to the figure leaning to the wall in the corner.

_They still were._

* * *

**Nineteen Years Ago**

* * *

"Hey!" Zabuza opened his eyes, having decided to take a light nap before the academy let out, and looked up to a brown-haired boy standing beside him. He looked nervous, from what Zabuza could tell.

"Yeah?"

"Are you the boy Harribel-san goes home with?" He sounded unsure.

"Yeah." Zabuza answered honestly. "Why?" The boy looked relieved at finding the right person.

"I-I just wanted to ask you something." Zabuza sat there, waiting.

"Well?" The boy jumped in surprise. He looked nervous to be around the dirty, napping boy.

"Oh! Well, uh, I-I just wanted to ask…well…" He wasn't quite sure how to put it. "See, the thing is…"

Zabuza stared at him.

"I-if it's not too much to ask for…"

Zabuza continued to stare.

"B-because I've seen you hanging out…"

Zabuza was starting to roll his eyes.

"And since you seem so close-"

"What?!" The street boy yelled. "What what what?!" He was annoyed and his yell made even the trained Shinigami initiate jump.

"Can you tell me how to get close to Harribel-san?!"

Zabuza stared at the boy's sudden outburst. "Huh?"

The older boy sighed. The jig was up. "I-I told my instructors I was using the restroom so I could ask you a question before everyone got let out. I want to get to know Harribel-san better." The boy admitted. "She's just so cool and anytime I try and talk with her, she always seems so busy or I get too scared to do so." He gave a little bow to the homeless boy. "I would be in your debt if you could tell me your secret on how you got Harribel-san to like and talk with you so openly."

If anyone walked by at that moment, it would have been unusual to see a boy, obviously in his Shinigami training, if the Zanpakutō at his side was any indication, bowing to one of the numerous Kiri orphans. The orphan, in turn, looking readily unsure of what the heck was going on.

"S-stop bowing!" Zabuza managed to get out over his stupor of being actually _bowed_ to. "Who the hell _bows_ to an orphan anyway?" Hell. Another new word he found enjoyable to say. Thank you, barman!

"But you do know why Harribel-san-"

"I don't know why Tier talks to me." Zabuza grumbled. "She just does." Blunt didn't begin to describe his response to the older boy's question, who in response scrunched his face up, uncertainly.

"But-but how did you two meet?"

"She beat up the Shinigami who was trying to kill me."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Oh." That did sound like her. "Then can you tell me her likes?"

"Training."

Everyone knew that. "Anything else?" Zabuza thought it over.

"I don't think so." Tier was simple when it came to conversations. She talked about this or that and answered in the correct response to whatever was asked of or at her. She didn't express her likes. She expressed herself through actions.

The older boy frowned. "Is there anything you can give me?"

Zabuza shrugged. "I've got a few pieces of bread I got from a dumpster this morning." He wasn't planning to share, though. That was his bread. He worked for it.

The boy looked somewhat sick at the thought, smiling uncertainly as he nudged his way towards the academy before people got suspicious of his absence. "I think I'll pass."

That orphan boy was just too weird for him.

Zabuza shrugged and laid his back to the tree again. "Fine by me." He said, mostly to himself, as the Shinigami silently went back into the academy without another word. He huffed in annoyance.

Shinigami guys were just a weird lot in general.

* * *

**Present Day**

* * *

It was the story of a man who inspired a nation. A true hero of Nami no Kuni. Kaiza, the stepfather of Inari and ex-husband of Tsunami, was really the kind of man you hoped your child would grow up to be like.

From how Tazuna described him, despite his humble background as a fisherman, the man had courage, honor and guts a plenty. Kaiza was a true role model, not only to Inari, but to the nation as a whole. Everyone looked up to him as an example of what perseverance and hard work could do. Everyone loved him.

It was this quality that ultimately grabbed the attention of Gatō.

From what Tazuna told the Shinigami, Kaiza was eventually captured by Gatō's men and was made to be an example of what would happen to any who dared stick up against Gatō and his corporation. Tazuna didn't go into details over what was done to him, but the will of the people died that day, along with Inari's belief in heroes. He closed himself off, didn't talk much and Tazuna couldn't even remember the last time the boy smiled.

Ichigo sat at the dining room table, arms crossed, as he took in the bridge builder's words. It was starting to make sense, now, he would admit.

He thought back to the boy's words, his tears when he was crying in his room and the sense of absolute _pain_ coming off of him.

Ichigo grit his teeth. "Gatō huh?" He pushed himself away from the table, hands clenched into fists and he moved towards the door exiting the room.

"Oi! Ichigo, what do you think you're doing?" Sakura asked, watching as orange-haired, former-delinquent reached the door and pulled it open with a quick pull.

"I'm gonna do a little training." He replied, not turning around to look at the female member of their team.

"Training? With what? You already finished the Reishūkaku, what more can you do-"

"I have my sword, don't I? I can train with that for a while." Ichigo interrupted, as he held his grip to the door.

"Well yeah, maybe so, but still it's late out. Just get some sleep and do some tomor-"

"I can't sit around here and do nothing!" Ichigo shouted, interrupting the girl again as his grip on the door tightened. "Gatō's gonna come back. And when he does, I want to be strong enough to face him and whatever he throws at us." He turned his head around, giving a hard stare back to the occupants of the room. "...I don't want to see Inari cry again." With that, Ichigo stepped out, slamming the door behind him as the clatter of sandals acknowledged the boy's leaving from the Tazuna household.

Unseen to the bridge builder and the Shinigami, in the corner of the room beside the door, a silent figure – a full grown man with a number of scratches and scars on his person – smiled as the orange haired Shinigami's footsteps faded into the night.

* * *

Current Individual Stats (0 being the lowest, 5 being the highest)

Team 7

Urahara Kisuke

**Zanjutsu: 4.5  
****Hakuda: 4.5  
****Hoho: 4.5  
****Kido: 5  
****Reiryoku: 4  
****Intelligence: 5  
****Wisdom: 4  
****Strength: 4  
****Speed: 4.5  
****Luck: 3**

**Total Score: 43**

Kurosaki Ichigo

**Zanjutsu: 2  
****Hakuda: 2.5  
****Hoho: .5  
****Kido: .5  
****Reiryoku: 4  
****Intelligence: 3  
****Wisdom: 2  
****Strength: 2.5  
****Speed: 2.5  
****Luck: 3.5**

**Total Score: 23**

Uchiha Sasuke

**Zanjutsu: 2.5  
****Hakuda: 2.5  
****Hoho: 3  
****Kido: 2.5  
****Reiryoku: 2  
****Intelligence: 2.5  
****Wisdom: 2.5  
****Strength: 2  
****Speed: 3  
****Luck: 2**

**Total Score: 24.5**

Haruno Sakura

**Zanjutsu: 1  
****Hakuda: 1  
****Hoho: 1.5  
****Kido: 3  
****Reiryoku: 1  
****Intelligence: 3.5  
****Wisdom: 1.5  
****Strength: .5  
****Speed: 1.5  
****Luck: 2.5**

**Total Score: 17**

* * *

******13,000 Words! **Phew! I am glad that's over! That was an ordeal of a chapter if there ever was one!

**Seriously, show me some love for this chap cause it was a nightmare to finish and I hope you are all satisfied with it! If not, tell me what you hated and I'll work on to further improve my skills on my story-telling abilities.**


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